u 



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MY LIFE 



WITH 



STANLEY'S 
REAR GUARD 



BY 

HERBERT WARD, 

Anthor of " Five Years with the Congo Cannibals/^ Etc, 



WITH A MAP BY F. S. fELLER. 



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CHARLES L. WEBSTER & COMPANY. 

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MY LIFE 



WITH 



Stanley's Rear Guard. 



BY ^ 

HERBERT WARD, 

AUTHOR OF " FIVE YEARS WITH THE CONGO CANNIBALS," ETC. 



^.-1 



V 



WITH A MAP BY F, S, WELLER. 




NEW YORK : 

CHARLES L. WEBSTER & COMPANY. 

1891. 



Copyright, 1891, 
By CHARLES L. WEBSTER & CO. 

{All rights reserved.) 






Jenkins & McCowan, 
224 Centre St., N. Y. 



.- / 



TO 



^i^RITA 



INTRODUCTION. 



In July last Mr. Stanley wrote to me privately, sug- 
gesting that I should write a little volume giving the story 
of my life with his Rear Guard. He further suggested 
that in this little book I should deal with the different 
matters in dispute between us. The proposal at the time 
had no charm for me. I wished to avoid controversy al- 
together, and to be allowed to forget, as far as possible, 
all about my connection with the Emin Expedition. The 
Rear Guard was a failure; something could undoubtedly 
be said on all sides of the question, and it seemed to me 
that, under all the circumstances, the subject had far bet- 
ter be left alone. This was my view of the matter, and 
this my reason for holding aloof from the controversy as 
long as I could. 

Much against my will, however, I have been dragged 
into the dispute; and, as there seems to be no help for it, 
I have decided to adopt Mr. Stanley's old hint, and pub- 
lish what I know of the Rear Guard. It is not very much, 
after all, for I was hundreds of miles away when some of 
the incidents which have most stirred the public mind are 
alleged to have happened. These matters, however, ap- 



Vlll INTRODUCTION. 

pear to me to be rather by the way and altogether outside 
the vital point at issue between Mr. Stanley and his Rear 
Guard officers, /. ^., the question as to where the respon- 
sibility really rests for our failure to move forward from 
Yambuya. 

When I decided to write this book, it appeared to me 
that the best plan would be to give a picture of my life as 
it really was at Yambuya, avoiding all controversy in my 
narrative; and at the close to deal in a calm and impar- 
tial way with the different matters in dispute, as they 
affect myself. This is the course I have adopted. I hope 
it will prove acceptable. This story of mine is simply the 
outcome of a conscientious desire to tell the truth with 
regard to matters respecting which too many misconcep- 
tions prevail. If it succeeds in bringing home to the 
minds of my countrymen some true idea of what our 
dangers, difficulties, and sufferings at Yambuya really 
were, and recalls attention to the only point upon which 
a fair and impartial judgment can be formed, I shall be 
content. 



—WITH — 

STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 



CHAPTER I. 

Weary of African life, and worn by my ten years' wan- 
derings in many lands, my thoughts turned homeward at 
the beginning of the year 1887, and I felt the old longings 
for a sight of English faces and English scenes once more. 
I had spent nearly three years on the Congo, during the 
greater portion of which time I had been in the service of 
the Belgian State, and the remainder with the Sanford 
Exploring Expedition. I thought I had had enough of 
Africa, for a time at least, and wanted to get away. The 
life had become monotonous to me ; every tree and track 
on the whole Congo route was familiar ; with native cus- 
toms and languages I was well acquaint, and there seem- 
ed little, if anything, to tempt me to remain further. 

I was not fated to return to England, however, just 
then. In the middle of my preparations for departure, a 
chance meeting with an old friend and comrade in African 
work — Charles Ingham — led to a complete reversal of my 
thoughts and intentions. 

Ingham, whom I happened to meet at Matadi, was act- 
ing at the moment as the advance agent of Mr. Stanley, 
in connection with the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition. 

9 



lO MY LIFE WITH 

His mission was the employment of porters for the con- 
veyance of the baggage of the Expedition up country, 
through the Cataract region. From him I learned for the 
first time of the presence of Mr. Stanley once more on 
African soil, and of the rescue he had undertaken. The 
news came to me as a startling surprise. Cut off as I had 
been from almost all civilized life, news of every kind of 
the doings of the outer world was to me as a closed book. 
The days came and went, and the weeks ran into months, 
as, pursuing the ordinary course of my life, I lived, care- 
less of outside history and incident, happy and contented 
if only sufficient sport and adventure attended my frequent 
journeyings. 

Ingham's tidings interested me strangely, and I ques- 
tioned him in no little detail as to the ways and means of 
the whole proceeding, with which he was temporarily asso- 
ciated. I learned from him at the start that his connec- 
tion with the Expedition was only a temporary one. Press- 
ed as he had been to give his services permanently, he had 
nevertheless refused, preferring to continue his work as a 
missionary on the Lower Congo, to journeying into the 
unknown interior. He was not, however, without enthu- 
siasm in regard to the matter, and from him I learned of 
the whole plan of operations. As I listened, my feelings 
rapidly underwent a change. Thoughts of home and long- 
ings for rest were all swept from my mind, and I became 
full of anxiety to form one of the band of travelers. The 
name of Stanley had always had a charm for me, and I 
had no greater regret than that my African experiences 
had not dated back a sufficiently long time to allow of my 
having been with the great explorer in his earlier days of 
travel and discovery. 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. II 

As I say, I knew nothing of Emin Pasha, and truth 
compels me to confess that about him I cared not at all. 
Of his sufferings and trials, of his dangers and difficulties, 
I was in entire ignorance. Life with Stanley promised new 
experiences, unthought-of adventures, and all those things 
which from my early days had appeared to my sporting 
mind to make life worth the living. For glory or profit I 
had no heed ; but for sport and adventure I was keen and 
excited. I grew hopeful of achieving my purpose. I 
knew Stanley, and would not come to him as an entire 
stranger. Through his influence I had been first appoint- 
ed to the Congo service. I did not, however, rest my 
hopes on this fact alone. The explorer, I knew, was a 
practical man, who leaned more toward actions than 
words. With him there could be no more powerful or 
persuasive argument than proof of energy and ready 
adaptability. I was quick to discover from Ingham that 
time was short, and the men he sought were scattered. 
Here was my opportunity, and I seized it without ado. 
Applying my knowledge of the people and language to 
his assistance, I soon gathered some three hundred of the 
required porters together, and, losing no time, set out 
with them to meet Stanley and his company. With the 
much-desired supply of porters as an outward and visible 
argument in my favor, I felt pretty confident that my re- 
quest for permission to join the Expedition as a volunteer 
would not be refused. 



I 2 MV LIFE WITH 



CHAPTER 11. 

I HAD not been very long on the march when I met 
Stanley and his column. I have already described my 
first meeting with the Expedition, but as this little book 
' will probably be read by many who will not have an op- 
portunity of referring to my " Five Years with the Congo 
Cannibals/* I make the following extract, from page -^Z'- — 

*^ I had broken camp early one morning, and was march- 
ing rapidly along ahead of my caravan, when in the dis- 
tance coming over the brow of a hill I saw a tall Soudan- 
ese soldier bearing Gordon Bennett's yacht flag. Behind 
him and astride of a fine henna-stained mule, whose sil- 
ver-plated trappings shone in the morning sun, was Mr. 
Henry M. Stanley, attired in his famous African costume. 
Following immediately in his rear were his personal ser- 
vants, Somalis with their curious braided waistcoats and 
white robes. Then came Zanzibaris with their blankets, 
water-bottles, ammunition belts and guns. Stalwart Sou- 
danese soldiers with dark-hooded coats, their rifles on 
their backs, and innumerable straps and leather belts 
around their bodies; and Zanzibari porters bearing iron- 
bound boxes of ammunition, to which were fastened axes 
and shovels as well as their little bundles of clothing 
which were roiled up in coarse sandy-colored blankets. 

" Stanley saluted me very cordially and dismounted. 
* Take a seat,' said he, with a wave of his hand, indicat- 
ing the bare ground. We then squatted down, and he 
handed me a cigar from the silver case given him by 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, I3 

H. R. H. the Prince of Wales on the night before his de- 
parture. 

'^ As concisely as possible I told him of my desire to 
join his Expedition, and after a few minutes' conversation 
Mr. Stanley told me he would accept me as a volunteer. 
He then expressed his surprise at my healthy appearance, 
considering that I had been so long in Africa. Having 
directed me to hurry on with my natives to Matadi, to 
bring up the loads, and as expeditiously as possible over- 
take him at Stanley Pool, where we should all embark to- 
gether, we parted. 

" Passing along I became further acquainted with the 
constitution of Stanley's great cavalcade. At one point a 
steel whale-boat was being carried in sections, suspended 
from poles which were each borne by four men; donkeys 
heavily laden with sacks of rice were next met with, and 
a little further on the women of Tippoo Tib's harem, their 
faces partly concealed, and their bodies draped in gaudily 
colored cloths; then at intervals along the line of march 
an English officer with whom, of course, I exchanged 
friendly salutations; then several large-horned East Afri- 
can goats, driven by saucy little Zanzibari boys. A short 
distance further on, an abrupt turn of the narrow footpath 
brought into view the dignified form of the renowned Tip- 
poo Tib, as he strolled along majestically in his flowing 
Arab robes of dazzling whiteness, and carrying over his 
left shoulder a richly decorated sabre, which was an em- 
blem of office conferred on him by H. H. the Sultan of 
Zanzibar. Behind him at a respectful distance followed 
several Arab sheiks, whose bearing was quiet and digni- 
fied. In response to my salutation they bowed most 
gracefully. 



14 MY LIFE WITH 

'* * Haijambo/ said I. 

^^ ^ Sijambo/ they replied. 

^^ ^ Khabari gani ? ' (what news ?) I inquired. 

*^ ^Khabari njema' (good news), was the reply, and in 
that way I passed along the line of 700 men, in whose 
ranks were represented various types from all parts of 
eastern equatorial Africa, each wearing the distinguishing 
garb of his own country. All the costumes and accoutre- 
ments looked bright and gay, for the Expedition had dis- 
embarked but a few days previously. As the procession 
filed along the narrow, rugged path, it produced an effect 
no less brilliant than striking. Its unbroken line extend- 
ed over a distance of probably four miles." 

My work at Matadi, for which point I made after leav- 
ing Mr. Stanley, was soon completed, and the cases of 
ammunition, provisions, and camp requirements which 
awaited transmission were soon en route on the shoulders 
of the porters. From Matadi, in accordance with my in- 
structions, I hurried on to Manyanga, where I arrived on 
April 1 6th. Here I found J. Rose Troup, who had been an 
old comrade in the Congo service, and whose name is now 
so familiar to the public. With him I had to spend sev- 
eral days at Manyanga, owing to delay in the arrival of 
some of the carriers who had been dispatched from Mata- 
di. Neither of us relished the residence at Manyanga, 
but there was nothing for it but to wait. The place is a 
most unlovely spot, and of gruesome memory for the Con- 
go traveler, for it was here that Stanley, when founding 
the Congo State in 1882, suffered one of his most severe 
attacks of fever, and approached so near to death that he 
gathered his companions round his bedside to hear what 
he considered would be his last message. Luckily, how- 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, I 5 

ever, for the causes of science and progress, the explorer 
was spared for later and more successful undertakings. It 
was with a feeling of relief that Troup and I were at last 
able to say good-bye to Manyanga. 

By forced marches on foot, we hurried on in the track 
of the Expedition, which we found encamped round Mr. 
Greshoff's Dutch trading station at Kinchassa. Shortly 
after our arrival, Mr. Stanley informed me that he wished 
me to accompany him the following morning on board the 
^Teace," the steam-launch of the Baptist Mission, on which 
he was about to travel up the Congo. My kit, however, 
was away at Leopoldville, and unless I made up my mind 
to travel without any change of raiment whatever, I would 
have to get to Leopoldville and back in the few hours 
which intervened. I had tramped twenty-seven miles al- 
ready that day, and it was with no light heart that I set 
out again. The distance back was some five miles or 
more, but to my weary soul it seemed double the length. 
I reached my scanty stock of ragged clothes eventually, 
however, and, having made the slight selection their condi- 
tion permitted, got back to Kinchassa weary and footsore, 
with wet clothes and shivering limbs, about six o'clock in 
the morning, just in time to get on board the ^^ Peace." My 
troubles with the expedition had commenced. 

All was bustle and animation at Kinchassa, and my com- 
panions, after a pleasant evening and good night's rest, 
were in the liveliest of spirits. Everything looked rosy 
and promising at this point, and the future, so far as we 
could see, held no promise of failure in store. As the 
different portions of the Expedition embarked, the scene 
was one of great enthusiasm, and cheers and hurrahs filled 
the air. The <' Henry Reed " took the lead with Tippoo 



I 6 MY LIFE WITH 

Tib and his people, followed immediately afterward by the 
steamer "" Stanley," bearing the greater number of the 
officers, and a large portion of the Zanzibaris, with the 
^^ Florida" hulk alongside; while the ^' Peace," with Stan- 
ley and myself and the remainder of the Expedition on 
board, brought up the rear, with the attendant whale- boats. 
All went well with the '' Henry Reed " and the ^' Stanley," 
but matters on board the '^ Peace," where Mr. Stanley 
and I were, were anything but satisfactory. We had not 
been under way many minutes, when our tiller smashed 
under the strain of the very swift current through which 
we were steering, and for a short time things looked very 
black indeed. Of course our steering-gear became utterly 
unmanageable, and, to make matters worse, we were being 
carried by the current right on to a rocky island. The 
anchors were put out immediately, but for a while they 
proved utterly useless. They suddenly caught, and in the 
spasmodic shock the little steamer almost heeled over. 
The moment was one of grave danger, but, strangely enough 
not of undue excitement. Stanley, situated at the bow, 
with eye eagerly strained to catch the effects of our sudden 
stoppage, cried ^^ Look out ! " which put everyone on the 
qui vive. The trembling blacks watched and waited, but 
moved not; and after some little time we succeeded, though 
with great difficulty, in getting our little vessel from its 
perilous position. By the alternate working of our twin- 
screw arrangements we made sufficient headway to enable 
us to reach the station of the Sanford Exploring Expedition, 
about half a mile from the point where our accident had 
happened. Here the remainder of that day and a portion 
of the next were occupied in repairing the damage done, and 
we then rejoined the ^' Stanley" and '' Henry Reed," which 
had been lying in wait for us at the head of Stanley Pool, 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, \^ 



CHAPTER III. 

As we journeyed along en route for Bolobo, our next 
stopping-place, I had many talks with Mr. Stanley. It 
was then I became really informed as to the Expedition 
and its purport, and that I formally attached myself to the 
undertaking. My meeting with Mr. Stanley, described in 
the previous chapter, had been a very hurried affair, and 
as he was then anxious to press on, and equally desirous 
that his loads should follow quickly, he contented himself 
with a verbal arrangement, in accepting my services as a 
volunteer, without pay of any kind, as I had offered my- 
self. Now, on board the " Peace," he went into the mat- 
ter more fully, and obtained from me the written under- 
taking or contract which I quote: 

** Contract of Engagement for Emin Pasha Relief 
Expedition. 

*^I, Herbert E. Ward, agree to accompany the Emin 
Pasha Relief Expedition, and to place myself under the 
command of Mr. H. M. Stanley, the leader of the Expedi- 
tion, and to accept any post or position in that Expedition 
to which he may appoint me. 

" I further agree to serve him loyally and devotedly; to 
obey all his orders; and follow him by whatsoever route 
he may choose; and to use my utmost endeavors to bring 
the Expedition to a successful issue. 

" Should I leave the Expedition without his orders I 
agree to forfeit all claim to return passage money. 



1 8 MY LIPE WITH 

^' Mr. H. M. Stanley agrees to pay my return passage 
to England, provided I continue during the whole period 
of the Expedition. 

^* I undertake not to publish anything connected with 
the Expedition, or to send any account to the newspapers 
for six months after the issue of the official publication of 
the Expedition by the leader or his representative. 

•' Congo River, Mav 4, 1887. 

*» [Signed] Herbert Ward. 
" [Countersigned] Henry M. Stanley.'* 

In the course of our interviews Stanley informed me of 
his intention to appoint me to the position of Executive 
Lieutenant in charge of his No. i Company of Zanzibaris. 
Subsequently, however, in the course of the arrangements 
in connection with the Bolobo Camp, I learned to my dis- 
gust that this plan had been changed, and that I was to be 
left behind at Bolobo in command of the camp there, with 
Bonny and 125 men. The decision was anything but an 
agreeable one to me, but I had signed my contract ! As 
Mr. Stanley represented the matter, it was desirable that 
some one should take charge at Bolobo who knew the 
country and could speak the language. The real reason, 
however, for my being left behind was, that some of my 
fellow-officers had urged upon Mr. Stanley that it would 
be unfair to allow me to go ahead at the expense of any 
one of them being left, when they had journeyed with the 
Expedition from England, and I had only been " picked 
up " by the way in Africa. There was a good deal of 
fairness in the argument, I admit, and it is with no idea of 
complaining that I refer to the matter; nevertheless, it was 
an unlucky day for me when I was left at Bolobo, for in 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, I9 

consequence of my stay there I was prevented getting to 
Yambuya in time to join Mr. Stanley, and so shut out from 
any part in the very doings of the Expedition to which I 
had looked forward when I joined. 

Our camp at Bolobo consisted of 125 men, ^^ weakest in 
body,'' to quote Mr. Stanley's phrase, with Bonny and 
myself as the only two whites. These 125 men had been 
selected by Mr. Stanley in order that they might be left 
behind for a twofold purpose: first, that they should re- 
cruit somewhat, and secondly, that they should make room 
for the men under command of Major Barttelot and Sur- 
geon Parke, who had journeyed overland from Stanley 
Pool to Kwamouth, while we had been making our way by 
water. Bonny and I, with the men, had now to remain at 
Bolobo till the steamer '"• Stanley " should go to Yambuya, 
discharge its present load there, return to Stanley Pool in 
order to take up Troup and the remainder of the baggage, 
and call for us on the way back. The time occupied by 
these movements would, we estimated, leave us at Bolobo 
for some eight or ten weeks. During this period all the 
work our men would have to do would be to collect wood 
fuel for the ** Stanley " each day in the forest — a light and 
easy task, adapted to their somewhat delicate condition. 

We made our camp on the site of the old station which 
Mr. Stanley has described in his '^ Founding of the Con- 
go " as having been established by him at this point, but 
of which scarcely any trace was now visible. Our stay 
was not altogether an unpleasant one, save for the unsatis- 
factory characteristics which attend all periods of waiting. 
Sport we had in plenty. The country is particularly fine 
and fertile, well wooded and watered, and abundantly sup- 
plied with all sorts of game — such as buffalos, elephants, 



20 MV LIFE WITH 

hippopotami, and wild pig. My camp duties were of a 
purely nominal character, and my ample leisure was pretty 
well filled up with sketching and shooting. Bonny and I 
shot several hippopotami, the meat of which was much 
priced by our men. It figured constantly in their bill of 
fare, and when it became unacceptable it was always use- 
ful in exchange with the natives for other food. 

One of those awkward incidents, so unavoidable when 
the white man has to deal in an executive capacity with 
the blacks, happened while we were leading this easy 
existence at Bolobo. As a result of the light work they 
had to perform, and the natural absence of rigid discipline, 
our men became lazy and neglectful of those formal duties 
which marked the opening and closing of each day's life in 
camp. In this respect some were more guilty than others 
— many of the men were a very bad lot indeed — and 
eventually it became necessary to put a stop to the demor- 
alization, which we found spreading day by day. I de- 
termined to make an example of one black- — a regular 
scoundrel — who completely ignored orders, and altogether 
placed our authority at defiance. We found it utterly im- 
possible to get him to attend morning parade, and so I 
gave him due notice one day that, if on the following 
morning he did not ^' fall in " as ordered, he would receive 
the recognized form of Zanzibari punishment, in the shape 
of flogging. 

The morning came, but not compliance with my orders 
on his part. I failed to find him during the day, but in the 
evening on his return to camp, I ordered that he should 
be seized and flogged. He was a desperate bully, and the 
men, filled with dread of him, made but a feeble attempt 
to carry out my instructions. He shook them off. The 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, '21 

moment was critical, and I realized that if I was to main- 
tain my authority, I should have to assert it with my own 
right arm. I went for him, as the phrase is, and we closed 
with one another, the men grouped around watching the 
result. The mutineer was possessed of a club, and had 
me manifestly at a disadvantage. In the fight which en- 
sued, my foot caught in a tent peg, and I fell back on the 
ground. I was at his mercy, when Bonny, rushing for- 
ward, clubbed the man with his musket, and he was se- 
cured as prisoner. My original instructions were subse- 
quently carried out, and this mutinous spirit was quelled. 



2 2 MY LIFE WITH 



CHAPTER IV. 



After we had spent about eight weeks at Bolobo, the 
^^ Stanley" passed down the river on its way to Stanley 
Pool for Troup and the expedition stores that had been 
left in his charge; and the captain delivered to me the 
following letter from Mr. Stanley. I quote it as showing 
how matters stood at this juncture, and the position I oc- 
cupied in the mind of my chief: 

" Yambuya Camp, Upper Aruwimi. 
''June i8, 1887. 

*^My dear Ward — Within please find enclosed my let- 
ter to Troup, which after reading, close envelope, and 
seal it, with such other matter from yourself as the con- 
tents of my letter, and your own conditions, physical and 
financial, will suggest is necessary. 

^* The ^ Stanley ' towing the ^ Florida,' and governed by 
the speed of the ^ Peace,' which was ahead and showed 
the way, arrived at this camp from Bangala in fourteen 
days. If the ' Stanley ' tows only the large whale-boat, 
she will make the distance in twelve days easily. 

^^ Therefore her time-table should be as follows: — 

"Starting from Leopoldville, say Julys, ^^ earlier if 
possible — 





To Bolobo July 10, 


5 days 


Fuel ready at Bolobo. 


To Lukolela " 13, 


3 " 




To Equator '' 16, 


3 '' 


Halt half a day. 


To Bangala " 20, 


4 '' 


Halt half a day. 


To Upoto " 25, 


5 '' 




To camp here August i 


, 7 " 
27 days 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 23 

^' The steamer leaves here to-morrow, or early on the 
20th, loaded with fuel enough, I hope, to last her to 
Bolobo. I hope you have plenty for her to go at once 
down river, and you should have two days' fuel ready for 
her going up. If she has anything like an ordinarily 
quick journey, the ^ Stanley ' ought to be at Leopoldville 
on the ist or 2nd of July. Give her two days to cut fuel 
and clean up, she ought to start on July 4 or 5 with 
Troup. 

*^ You should give the ^ Stanley ' crew chop to go down 
to Leo and back to Bolobo if possible, if you can spare 
brass rods. As she has only twenty men, 200 rods for ten 
days will suffice. If you have goats send some down to 
Leo as a favor, with your compliments; these little atten- 
tions will be repaid by prompt despatch of * Stanley ' from 
Leo. 

^^ Supposing ^ Stanley ' wrecked on her way down to 
Leo, you have the ' Florida ' and Greshoff steamer to fall 
back upon, which must be chartered at all costs in that 
event, but not otherwise. I am promising a liberal money 
present to both captain and engineer, if they hurry up 
here with the last contingent of men and goods. 

'^ We found chop in plenty everywhere. We had a 
regular system of work. As soon as the boats touched 
the bank, the wood-cutters and wood-gatherers began 
work, and if they were active they finished long before 
midnight. The great thing is to collect fuel and bring it 
to the landing-place for cutting. The long saws require 
sharpening by day ready for the excellent work of them 
by night. We bought goats from the mission Lukolela 
and from the Equator and Bangala, paying for them in 
rods. You can do likewise. 



24 ^y LIFE WITH 

"We distributed ammunition to the people the night be- 
fore reaching the Aruwimi river. 

" I regret to inform you that Baruti, the black boy who 
was with me in England, deserted here the night before 
last, taking with him two Winchester rifles, my little 
pocket revolver, and pedometer. With him went Mburra 
and Feruzi, boys belonging respectively to the captain and 
engineer of the ' Stanley.' They took with them a couple 
of Remingtons and ammunition pouches. You will have 
fifty-three guns with you when you come up. If you had 
ah interpreter — if he is a boy from Upper Congo, secure 
him — you might be able by menace to get those guns 
back. I do not care for the lads. Of course the natives 
will strenuously deny — they always do so — but it is an ab- 
solute certainty that the boys (four) took a canoe from 
our landing-place. A vast amount of circumstantial evi- 
dence proving this has been collected after their departure. 
Your people are not first-class, yet, if these guns are not 
delivered consult with Captain Schogestrom what you had 
best do. Do not act precipitately or rashly. Offer to 
purchase the guns for anything they need. But do not 
land your people in the village, nor do not camp opposite. 
There is nice camping ground above the Baroko village at 
the confluence of a creek. Put the creek between your 
camp and the natives. Keep a good look out, that is all. 

** Give my compliments to Bonny, and believe me anx- 
ious for your early arrival here as my lieutenant. 

" Yours very sincerely, 
[Signed] ^^ Henry M. Stanley. 
''Herbert Ward, Esq." 

Troup and his numerous loads of ammunition, stores, 
cloth, beads, etc., having been taken on board, the ^' Stan- 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 



25 



ley " returned to Bolobo on July 10. We then broke up 
camp there, and, embarking on the steamer, we all pro- 
ceeded to Yambuya to join the Rear Guard. Eager and 
anxious as we were to greet our brother officers once 
more, we paid little heed to aught save the rapidity of 
our passage. There was not very much, indeed, to in- 
spire us with enthusiasm as regards the country or peo- 
ple lying along our route. The scenery of the Aruwimi 
river up which we traveled, after leaving the Congo, 
though somewhat more varied than in the case of the other 
tributaries, was not in any sense remarkable; the forests 
lining the river exhibiting elements of past glory, rather 
than of present magnificence. As for the people, they 
were of too warlike a character to permit of any anxiety 
on our part for delay. 

Our journey, however, was attended with a mishap, which 
at one time assumed a very threatening aspect indeed. 
On July 14, when our vessel was steaming ahead at full 
speed, we were suddenly brought to a stand-still with a 
violent shock. We struck something, felt ourselves 
thrown back, and then we stuck fast. A swift examina- 
tion showed that we had run on a " snag " or submerged 
tree root which had caught us amidships. We tried to 
steam ahead, or to reverse our motion, but with no avail. 
We were on a pivot as it were, and could do nothing but 
swing round. Luckily for us, our ship's bottom continued 
watertight, and therefore a certain measure of safety was 
assured. We were, however, a good distance from shore, 
and in the midst of a very strong current. Providentially, 
as it were, some canoes now appeared in sight, and we 
succeeded in gaining the sympathy and co-operation of 
their occupants, but not without a good deal of difficulty. 



26 MY 'LIFE WITH 

The natives, having bargained with us, agreed to take our 
men ashore, while we endeavored to put matters right on 
board. They left with the intention of returning im- 
mediately, but as they did not put in a speedy reap- 
pearance, I went ashore to hurry them up. I found it 
impossible to get them back as early as we had hoped, 
and, as it was now becoming dark, had to be content with 
their promise to come at dawn. 

We were in an exceedingly awkward position, and steam 
was kept up all night, in view of a possible escape. Sleep 
was out of the question. Luckily for us, our black men, 
not realizing their danger, saved us additional difficulty in 
this direction. The canoes put in their promised ap- 
pearance on the morning of the isth, but it was blowing 
so hard that they were half full of water when they 
reached us. With their aid we lightened the steamer, and 
after three days of danger and difficulty were enabled to 
proceed again with everything intact. 

At length we came in sight of Yambuya, and obtained a 
first glimpse of that sad scene of so much suffering, disaster, 
and death. All the blackness and darkness, however, was 
mercifully withheld from our vision, and now, as we 
steamed up, we had no room for other feelings than those 
of bright hopefulness and cheery anticipation. As the 
"Stanley," rushed along, our straining eyes caught sight 
of a brown patch in the forest bank ahead, which, as we 
drew nearer, resolved itself into a scene made up of coni- 
cally shaped huts inside a picturesque fortification. On 
the beach, awaiting our advent, was a crowd of swarthy 
Zanzibaris and Soudanese soldiery, while thrown into 
strong relief by the effective background were the figures 
of Barttelot and Jameson, walking up and down together. 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 2"] 

Welcomed by lusty cheers and warm handshakes, and 
amidst a scene of v/ild enthusiasm, we disembarked, and 
eagerly besought information of our comrades. Then did 
we learn that Stanley, Stairs, Nelson, Jephson, and Parke, 
had gone on with 400 of the best men of the Expedition, 
six weeks previously, and that we, who had now arrived, 
were to place ourselves under the command of Major 
Barttelot. That there might be no uncertainty as to our 
position and instructions, Barttelot communicated to us 
the now famous letter of Mr. Stanley's, of which I think I 
had best give a copy here: 

'•'- To Major Barttelot^ dr^c. 

** June 24, 1887. 

'^ Sir — As the senior of those officers accompanying me 
on the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition, the command of 
this important post naturally devolves on you. It is also 
for the interest of the Expedition that you accept this 
command, from the fact that your Soudanese company, 
being soldiers and more capable of garrison duty than the 
Zanzibaris, will be better utilized than on the road. 

'' The steamer ' Stanley ' left Yambuya on the 226. of 
this month for Stanley Pool. If she meets with no mis- 
chance, she ought to be at Leopoldville on July 2. In 
two days more she will be loaded with about 500 loads of 
our goods, which were left in charge of Mr. J. R. Troup. 
This gentleman will embark, and on July 4 I assume that 
the * Stanley ' will commence her ascent of the river, and 
arrive at Bolobo on the 9th. Fuel being ready, the 125 
men in charge of Messrs. Ward and Bonny, now at Bolobo, 
will embark, and the steamer will continue her journey. 
She will be at Bangala on July 19, and arrived here on 
July 31. Of course, the lowness of the river in that 



28 MV LIFE WITH 

month may delay her a few days, but, having great con- 
fidence in her captain, you may certainly expect her be- 
fore August lo. 

'' It is the non-arrival of these goods and men which 
compels me to appoint you as commander of this post. 
But, as I shall shortly expect the arrival of a strong rein- 
forcement of men greatly exceeding the Advance Force, 
which must, at all hazards, push on to the rescue of Emin 
Pasha, I hope you' will not be detained longer than a few 
days after the departure of the ' Stanley ' on her final return 
to Stanley Pool in August. 

'' Meanwhile, pending the arrival of our men and goods, 
it behooves you to be very alert and wary in the command 
of this stockaded camp. Though the camp is favorably 
situated and naturally strong, a brave enemy would find it 
no difiicult task to capture if the commander is lax in dis- 
cipline, vigor and energy. Therefore I feel sure that I 
have made a wise choice in selecting you to guard our in- 
terests here during our absence. 

"' The interests now entrusted to you are of vital impor- 
tance to this Expedition. The men you will eventually 
have under you consist of more than an entire third of the 
Expedition. The goods that will be brought up are the 
currency needed for transit through the regions beyond 
the lakes; there will be a vast store of ammunition and 
provisions, which are of equal importance to us. The loss 
of these men and goods would be certain ruin to us, and 
the Advance Force itself would need to solicit relief in its 
turn. Therefore, weighing this matter well, I hope you 
will spare no pains to maintain order and discipline in 
your camp, and make your defences complete, and keep 
them in such a condition that, however brave an enemy 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 2g 

may be, he can make no impression on them. For this 
latter purpose I would recommend you to make an artifi- 
cial ditch six feet wide, three feet deep, leading from the 
natural ditch, where the spring is, round the stockade. A 
platform like that on the southern side of the camp, 
constructed near the eastern as well as at the western gate, 
would be of advantage to the strength of the camp. For, 
remember, it is not the natives alone who may wish to 
assail you, but the Arabs and their followers may, through 
some cause or other, quarrel with you and assail your 
camp.'^ 

'' Our course from here will be due east, or by magnetic 
compass east by south as near as possible. Certain marches 
that we may make may not exactly lead in the direction 
aimed at. Nevertheless, it is the southwest corner of 
Lake Albert, near or at Kavalli, that is our destination. 
When we arrive there we shall form a strong camp in the 
neighborhood, launch our boat and steer for Kibero, in Un- 
yoro, to hear from Signor Casati, if he is there, of the con- 
dition of Emin Pasha. If the latter is alive, and in the 
neighborhood of the lake, we shall communicate with him, 
and our after conduct must be guided by what we shall 
learn of the intentions of Emin Pasha. We may assume 
that we shall not be longer than a fortnight with him be- 
fore deciding on our return toward the camp along the 
same road traversed by us. 

^' We will endeavor, by blazing trees and cutting sap- 
lings along our road, to leave sufficient traces of the route 

* This is one of the most striking points in this much-discussed 
letter. It is to be noted that Mr. Stanley warns us against the 
Arabs — the very men we were dependent upon for the carriage 
of the load. 



-^O MY LIFE WITH 

taken by us. We shall always take, by preference, tracks 
leading eastward. At all crossings where paths intersect 
we shall hoe up and make a hole a few inches deep across 
all paths not used by us, besides blazing trees when pos- 
sible. 

^^ It may happen, should Tippoo Tib have sent the full 
number of adults promised by him to me, viz., 600 men 
(able to carry loads), and the * Stanley ' has arrived safely 
with the 125 men left by me at Bolobo, that you will feel 
yourself sufficiently competent to march the column, with 
all the goods brought by the ' Stanley,* and those left by me 
at Yambuya, along the road pursued by me. In that event, 
which would be very desirable, you will follow closely our 
route, and before many days we should most assuredly 
meet. No doubt you will find our bomas intact and stand- 
ing, and you should endeavor to make your marches so 
that you could utilize these as you marched. Better guides 
than those bomas of our route could not be made. If you 
do not meet them in the course of two days' march, you 
may rest assured that you are not on our route. 

'' It may happen, also, that though Tippoo Tib has sent 
some men, he has not sent enough to carry the goods with 
your own force. In that case you will, of course, use 
your discretion as to what goods you can dispense with to 
enable you to march. For this purpose you should study 
your list attentively. 

^^ I St. Ammunition, especially fixed, is most im.portant. 

''- 2(1. Beads, brass wire, cowries and cloth rank next. 

*^3d. Private luggage. 

**4th. Powder and caps. 

" 5th. European provisions. 

^^ 6th. Brass rods, as used on the Congo. 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 3 I 

<* 7th. Provisions (rice, beans, peas, millet, biscuits). 

" Therefore you must consider, after rope, sacking, tools, 
such as shovels (never discard an axe or bill-hook), how 
many sacks of provisions you can distribute among your 
men to enable you to march, whether half the brass rods 
in the boxes could not go also, and there stop. If you 
still cannot march, then it would be better to make two 
marches of six miles twice over, if you prefer march- 
ing to staying for our arrival, than throw too many things 
away. 

"With the ^ Stanley's ' final departure from Yambuya you 
should not fail to send a report to Mr. William Mackin- 
non, care of Gray, Dawes & Co., 13 Austin Friars, Lon- 
don, of what has happened at your camp in my absence, 
or when I started away eastward; whether you have heard 
of or from me at all, when you do expect to hear, and 
what you purpose doing. You should also send a true 
copy of this order, that the Relief Committee may judge 
for themselves whether you have acted, or propose to act, 
judiciously. 

^^Your present garrison shall consist of eighty rifles, 
and from forty to fifty supernumeraries. The ' Stanley' is 
to bring you within a few weeks fifty more rifles and sev- 
enty-five supernumeraries, under Messrs. Troup, Ward 
and Bonny. 

" I associate Mr. J. S. Jameson with you at present. 
Messrs. Troup, Ward, and Bonny will submit to your au- 
thority. In the ordinary duties of the defence, and the 
conduct of the camp or of the march, there is only one 
chief, which is yourself; but should any vital step be pro- 
posed to be taken, I beg you will take the voice of Mr. 
Jameson also. And when Messrs. Troup and Ward are 



32 MY LIFE WITH 

p 
here, pray admit them to your confidence, and let them 

speak freely their opinions. I think I have written very 
clearly upon everything that strikes me as necessary. 
Your treatment of the natives, I suggest, should depend 
entirely upon their conduct to you. Suffer them to return 
to the neighboring villages in peace, and if you can in any 
manner, by moderation, small gifts occasionally of brass 
rods, &c., hasten an amicable intercourse, I should recom- 
mend your doing so. Lose no opportunity of obtaining 
all kinds of information respecting the natives, the position 
of the various villages in your neighborhood, &c., &c. 

<^I have the honor to be your obedient servant, 
^^ Henry M. Stanley, 

'' Commanding Expedition^* 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 33 



CHAPTER V. 

It was now August 14, 1887, and little as I imagined it 
then, I had reached the furthest point that I was to travel 
in the path of the Emin Relief Expedition. Giving no 
thought, however, to such an unpleasant outcome, with 
light hearts and ready hands we attended to the storage of 
the different goods we had brought, and the acquainting 
of ourselves with the place and the men with whom we 
were to be brought in daily contact for some time to come. 
To me the next few days were of special interest, for with 
health — which was subsequently to run .down to death's 
point — comparatively good, and little to do in the way of 
actual work, I was enabled to devote myself to a study of 
my new companions, and the way in which African life 
affected their views and disposition. 

To Barttelot, as our temporary chief, I of course gave 
my first thought. Somehow or another from the very start 
Barttelot and I failed to " hit it off." We viewed things 
in different lights — he. through the strict, stern, rigid 
spectacles of discipline and with the autocratic manner of 
a British officer; while I, who had roughed it all the world 
over, had the influence upon me which came of much ad- 
venture, and that cosmopolitanism which results from be- 
ing vis a vis to every phase of life. In a word, he was 
a soldier come to rescue Emin Pasha; I had joined the 
explorer in the hope of stirring adventure with gun and 
pencil. He was a stranger to African manners and speech, 
with the ever-present suspicion of everyone and everything 



34 MY LIFE WITH 

which this disadvantage must always excite. I had an ac- 
quaintance with two or three of the languages, and that 
knowledge of native methods which could only be acquired 
by residence amongst the people. As a consequence of 
all this, the black people with whom he was brought into 
contact were to Barttelot an unknown quantity, and the 
contempt and disdain natural to the highly strung officer, 
who believed nothing was equal to the British soldier, 
gained full and unfortunate sway. He had been used to 
the plain and upright dealings of the white man, and, if 
trickery, such trickery as he could understand. He was 
completely at sea when dealing with the black, whose word 
is so frequently a lie. Handicapped, however, as he was 
in this way, Barttelot was nevertheless full of good points. 
He was one of those men who, if you met him at a dinner- 
party, or any place v/here the man could divest himself of 
the heavy responsibility he then had, would have been 
dubbed by you as one of the best fellows in the world. 
Frank of countenance and free of speech, with his bright, 
boyish, animated face swift to reflect his passing thought, 
he captured your friendliness while he was in the mood, 
and moved you unconsciously to sympathy. He had a 
fund of stories and a wealth of humor, so that he appeared 
at his best as a raco7iteur. His affection for his father was 
unbounded, and the man would have been a cold spirit 
indeed who would have failed to respond with an admiring 
thought, as he rang the pleasant changes of reference to 
the *^dear old Guv'nor.'' He was British, too, to the 
finger-tips in the matter of his tastes. He dearly loved a 
horse, and it was amusing to us sometimes to note how 
horseflesh was such a frequent standard of reference in the 
discussions of human ills and remedies. His talk was a 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 35 

breath from the country lanes and pleasant fields; his stor- 
ies constantly those of the hunting-field; and as one's rec- 
ollections travel in sorrow to that lonely grave in the pri- 
meval forest, one cannot help the saddening thought that 
better far would it have been if the glories of the chase he 
loved so well had held him fast, rather than the unhappy 
influence which drew him on to death at the hands of the 
assassin's rifle, and a grave in an African desert. 

In many ways Jameson was the perfect antithesis of 
Barttelot. While the latter was full of energy, burning 
with zeal, and mercurial even to hot-headedness, never two 
minutes quiet, walking up and down to get off steam, and 
burning with desire to be up and doing, Jameson was quiet 
to a degree, extremely modest and unassuming, with a 
most refined expression of countenance, and a voice which, 
in its low-pitched, pleasing tones, spoke the true spirit of 
the man. Barttelot, with his square-jawed, firmly moulded 
face, in which there was no shiftiness and no desire to hide, 
reminded you of the straight, daring rider across country; 
Jameson, with his soft, winsome features and musical in- 
tonation, drew your thoughts away to the quiet of the 
library and the seclusion of the student. Yet there was 
no keener sportsman than he. His face gave you the idea 
of delicacy, but the limbs of the man were hard and mus- 
cular, and courage and determination shone from out his 
clear and fearless eye. He had shot in the Rockies, been 
to Borneo, where he had suffered from a very severe sun- 
stroke, and wandered in many lands in search of the ad- 
venture he loved so well. Poor old Jameson! I felt drawn 
to him from the very first. For nearly seven months I 
dwelt in his companionship, and was tended by him in my 
direst need. Little did I dream then that, ere one weary 



36 MV LIFE WITH 

year had sped its course, mine would be the hands to 
minister to his dying wants, mine the arms in which he 
would breathe his final breath. Always bright and pleasant, 
cheering us in our hours of despair, he who had been bred 
in the lap of luxury taught us lessons in the way of rough- 
ing it, meeting inconveniences with a laugh, and suffering 
with a joke. He, in truth, was one of nature's noblemen, 
for never in the course of all our friendship did I hear him 
say a bitter word of a single soul. He is the first of all 
the men I have ever met of whom I can say the same thing. 

Troup and I were old friends, having been comrades 
in the Congo service. He is a son of General Sir Colin 
Troup, well known in India, and originally intended 
for the army, for which he had passed the necessary 
examinations. For some reason or another, however, he 
never joined, and after travelling about the world consider- 
ably, and spending some time in journalistic work, he 
betook himself to the Congo, where we first became ac- 
quainted. Very methodical in his habits, and conscien- 
tious to a degree, he was the very man for the transport 
work for which Stanley had specially selected him. 

Plucky in spirit, and methodical in principle, with ideas 
bounded by considerations of rigid discipline, Bonny, who 
was charged with medical functions by reason of his pos- 
sessing some hospital experience, proved a valuable assist- 
ant. He had, however, held non-commissioned rank in the 
Army Hospital Corps, and was always viewed in the light 
of his past position by Barttelot. There thus arose a con- 
dition of things partly undefinable, but nevertheless fruit- 
ful of outcome. He was ignorant of the Kiswahili language 
spoken by our men, and was, in consequence, at the mercy 
of the interpreters, of whose stories he took many notes. 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 



CHAPTER VII. 



So much for my fellow-officers. Now a word as to our 
men and the situation of our camp. At this time the 
strength of the Rear Guard at the time of our arrival was: 
Soudanese, 44; Somalis, 2; Zanzibaris, 200; making a 
total of 246. There had been seven deaths in camp from 
the time of Stanley's departure on June 20. The sentry 
duty was entirely in the hands of the Soudanese, the Zan- 
zibaris finding pickets. The Soudanese, with whom 
Barttelot was on the best of terms — they were the only 
armed soldiers in camp — were entirely in his charge. 
The 125 men brought up by Bonny and myself were left 
under our control. Jameson had charge of the Zanzibaris 
brought up by Parke, and Troup had general work in ad- 
dition to the care of the baggage. There were two Zanzi- 
bari interpreters — John Henry, who had already been in 
the Congo Free State service, and another man named 
Bartholomew. The Soudanese interpreter was the notori- 
ous Assad Farran, whose name obtained such publicity in 
connection with the cannibal charges and perjured affi- 
davits. 

The camp itself was pitched on the side of the river, and 
enclosed in a palisade of sticks. On the side facing the 
river there was a vertical descent running some fifty feet 
down, and amply protected in consequence, while on the 
three remaining sides there was the palisade of sticks I 
speak of, the sticks being some two inches in diameter and 
some fifteen feet in length. Several huts made of sticks 
and planks^ and thatched with grass, formed our different 



38 MY LIFE WITH 

dwelling - places. Barttelot at this time had his tent 
pitched right in the men's camp, while a little way off, and 
beside my own, Jameson occupied a large hut in which 
the ammunition and personal baggage left in his charge 
when Stanley had departed from Yambuya were stored. 
Bonny and Troup were located in a large hut opposite, 
with the stores brought up by the latter. Our men were 
quartered in huts adjoining. Outside the camp, and ly- 
ing around us, were large fields of manioc, from which our 
men obtained their daily food. 

And now one word as to our position before I pass on. 
Stanley and his companions had left on June 20, and he 
had roughly calculated that, even if we were compelled to 
remain at Yambuya tilf his return, our stay there would 
not extend beyond the month of November. The period, 
however, was fixed rather by inference than by plain 
statement of fact, the inference resting on the postscript 
in his letter of instructions to Barttelot, directing that one 
brass rod (to buy fish) and six cowrie shells should be 
given to each man per week for five months. Everything, 
however, depended upon Tippoo Tib, and if he supplied 
the required number of men to carry the goods with our 
force we could set out without delay, following in the track 
which it was arranged would be indicated to us by blasted 
trees, cut saplings and other guiding marks. As I say, 
everything depended upon the supply of men by Tippoo 
Tib. But when we reached the camp on August 14, six 
weeks after Stanley had departed, these men had not been 
supplied by Tippoo Tib, and we could do nothing but 
join our comrades in their attitude of expectancy and hope- 
fulness for the speedy fulfilment of Tippoo Tib's promise. 

There was no reason why we should at this time assume 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 39 

that Tippoo Tib's promise would not be fulfilled; and as 
we had, roughly speaking, 700 loads of fully 65 lbs. each, 
and only 170 available men to carry, it seemed foolish for 
us to think of moving by labored stages, thereby running 
the risk of losing a portion of the stores, which, according 
to our instructions, were regarded as a vital part of the 
Expedition. 

One of my first differences with Barttelot was with re- 
gard to our share of the European provisions. Prior to 
his setting out from Yambuya Mr. Stanley had given to 
each of the officers then with him, a supply supposed to 
be sufficient for six months. We naturally asked for our 
share on arriving at Yambuya, but, to the astonishment of 
us all, Major Barttelot refused, saying Mr. Stanley had 
left no instructions, and would require the stores to be de- 
livered up intact. We had some argument, however, re- 
garding the matter, and eventually succeeded in obtaining 
the following, which Barttelot estimated as a three months' 
supply: \% lbs. coffee, i lb. tea, i}4 tins salt and butter, 
2 tins milk, % lb. of sugar, i^ tins jam and chocolate 
milk, I tin cocoa and milk, sardines, sausages, i lb. fancy 
biscuits, Yz tin red herring, ^ lb. flour, i pot Liebig, ^ 
lb. tapioca, ^ lb. sago. 

One of the first incidents associated with our life at 
Yambuya occurred while the '^ Stanley " was still lying 
there discharging the loads. It was an attack by Arabs 
upon a native camp on the opposite bank to us, and was 
noteworthy because of the impression it gave us that they 
were the advance guard of the men promised us by Tip- 
poo Tib. In our ignorance, we believed that there was no 
Arab community in this district whatever, and that conse- 
quently these men had come on from Stanley Falls. We 



40 MV LIFE WITH 

found later on, however, that we were quite in error, and 
that as regards our idea of these men being connected in 
some way with our porters, the wish was unfortunately 
father to the thought. 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 4 1 



CHAPTER VIII. 

We had not been at Yambuya more than a day or two 
when Abdallah, the head man of the Manyemas, who had 
attacked the natives, arrived at our camp. He was inter- 
viewed by Major Barttelot in presence of us all. From 
him we learned that Tippoo Tib had sent about 500 men to 
us in canoes, but they had encountered such hostility from 
the natives, and were so done up after paddling six days 
against the stream without finding any indication of our 
whereabouts, that they had eventually been disbanded, 
small bands of Manyemas being sent out in different di- 
rections in order to discover us if possible. According to 
Abdallah, he was head man of one of the parties thus sent 
out. A further reason for the disbanding of the men was, 
we were told, that their ammunition had given out, and 
the natives had proved too strong for them. Abdallah 
stated, in conclusion, that Tippoo Tib was quite willing to 
supply the men, and he urged that, as Stanley Falls was 
only a few days' journey off, we should go ourselves and 
see Tippoo Tib personally on the subject, Abdallah un- 
dertaking to accompany us and act as guide. After con- 
sultation together, Major Barttelot decided to send Jame- 
son and myself to Stanley Falls to interview Tippoo Tib. 
The account of our journey is given very fully in my 
notes, from which I now quote: 

Tuesday^ August 23, 1887. — Started at 7 a. m from the 
entrenched camp of Yambuya, with Jameson, for Stanley 
Falls to see Tippoo Tib about getting the 400 Manyemas, 
under an escort of Arabs and Stanley Falls natives. The 



42 MY LIFE WITH 

first four hours' march was literally bad dense forest with 
interminable undergrowth, which was rendered more diffi- 
cult to pass by the tall manioc which at one time formed 
the plantations of villages long since destroyed by the 
Arab bandits. From midday until 4 p. m. our little track 
led us through some very foul-smelling swamps, and across 
streams with white-sand bottoms, all dense, virgin forest. 
At 4 p. M. we camped for the night in the forest. Ants, 
mosquitoes, and other biting insects in abundance. Our 
dinner consisted of a mouldy biscuit each; and we saw a 
fight between a Manyema and two Falls natives. They 
struggled and slashed each other with their knives, but 
did no serious damage. This afternoon these natives cap- 
tured an old man, woman, and a child, after an exciting 
hunt through the swamps and bush. The poor captives 
were very frightened, shook, and cried. Our Arab sheik 
Abdallah ordered their release on our account, and the ex- 
pression of disgust on the faces of the capturers was 
amusing. 

These natives with us (they come from the other side 
of the Congo) are the wildest and fiercest I've yet seen. 
Their faces and lips are deeply scored with cicatrization. 
A round piece of ivory is inserted in the upper lip. Law- 
less and as quick as monkeys, which they much resemble. 
They wear round hats of monkey skin, and carry their 
traps in a kind of potato net on their backs, the band pass- 
ing across their forehead. 

Wednesday^ August 24. — Left our bush camp at 5.30 
after a miserable breakfast of plain boiled rice, and we 
tramped through bush and swamp, the same as yesterday, 
until II A. M., when we came out into native clearing and 
walked along the trunks of fallen trees for about two 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 43 

miles. We then struck a village with a few natives, pass- 
ed through it (conical huts like beehives) and reached an- 
other. Here we stopped while Abdallah sent to some 
Arabs who were on a raiding expedition, and who held a 
small village at some distance. They came, after a bit, in 
their white robes and turbans, with their gun-bearers. 
They said they would give us a guide, but we had better 
camp in the village to-day, and start fresh to-morrow, as 
we could not reach water in a six hours' march. The 
Arabs, about forty, had plenty of captive slaves in a vil- 
lage at a little distance off. Houses here are very poor — ■ 
mere roofs with strips of bark. Natives are not at all 
frightened at seeing white men for the first time — very ser- 
vile. Chief made a speech, each sentence being repeated 
by his secretary. Plenty of malafu. The head sheik of 
the Arabs gave us some beautiful rice and a fine fowl. 
We were awfully worried by small flies (like the little black 
sand-fly). 

Thursday^ Augicst 25. — We started about 6.30 with our 
Arabs, and passed through a number of bush clearings 
and whole forests of plantain-trees. We sat down for 
twenty minutes in Diua. The Arabs caught some natives, 
and made show with their guns, until a pot of malape 
(palm pine) was produced. Sketched a couple of heads 
(vide sketches). Tramped right on until 5.20 p. m. A 
frightful journey through the dripping forest and up the 
swampy beds of streams. We made about nine hours' 
march to-day, and had no food, as our loads were behind. 
Camped, hungry, on side of forest hill. Sand-flies a fear- 
ful pest, and large black ants in abundance. The natives 
in Diua were not bad. Chief came with a pariah dog un- 
der his arm and said, '^ Never saw white man before; want 



44 MY LIFE WITH 

to be friends with him; I give him something to eat so 
that he shall say the people of Diua are his friends/' And 
then he handed me the dog by the hind leg. We accept- 
ed, of course, looked pleased, and passed on. (This 
speech was translated by a captive woman who had been 
with the Arabs long enough to speak Kiswahili.) This is 
one of the most confounded day's marching I've ever done. 

Friday^ August 26. — We started at six this morning, 
passing through gorgeous pictures of tropical scenery dur- 
ing the early part of the day. I have never seen a more 
magnificent scene than that presented by this forest. The 
light and shade effects produced by the trees and creepers 
beat anything I ever experienced in tropical countries. 
After passing over several hills we crossed a broad river 
in an old native canoe, and shortly afterwards my eyes 
rested on the glistening waters of the Congo. Descending 
a hill leading to the water, we came to a populous native 
village called Yalisula. Our march was about fifteen 
miles up to this time, and we now journeyed up the river 
a couple of miles to Yawami, a native village governed by 
an Arab representative. Here we camped for the night. 
No rain to-day; everything pleasant. 

Saturday^ Augtcst 2"], — Started at daybreak and changed 
canoes a little higher up. Caught in a terrific thunder- 
storm. Thunder and lightning all round ; the waters 
drenching us completely and the sea as choppy as possi- 
ble. In the lowest of spirits. Life scarcely worth living 
under conditions like these: every vestige of covering regu- 
larly soaked. Camped at a native village called Tatikusu. 
Great objects of interest to people, who treat us kindly. 
Poor old Jameson very sick to-night. No food all day 
for either of us save a lump of stale kwanga, which tasted 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 45 

for all the world like putty, which it strongly resembles in 
appearance. 

Sunday^ August 28. — Off before daylight and reached 
Stanley Falls after a very bad day of burning sun. Sick 
and tired to-night. Tippoo Tib came down to meet us 
and was very kind. As we were half famished, the Arab 
food which he sent us was relished more highly by each of 
us than anything we ever had taken before. 

On our arrival at Stanley Falls we found Tippoo Tib 
bland, courteous, and accommodating in every way. We 
handed him a letter from Major Barttelot [which had been 
translated into Arabic by Assad Farran, the interpreter] 
explaining the mistake his men had made, telling him Mr. 
Stanley had gone on, and saying we were still awaiting the 
promised 600 men (porters). The letter concluded by 
informing Tippoo Tib that the powder promised him by 
Mr. Stanley had arrived at Yambuya, and that the agree- 
ment made at Zanzibar held good. Tippoo Tib's explana- 
tion to us was that Mr. Stanley had told him that our 
camp would be found near Basoko; that he (Tippoo Tib) 
had sent his men up past Basoko without discovering us; 
that he had then sent his men for food, in the search for 
which they were attacked, and four were killed by the na- 
tives. He had ultimately given up hope of finding us, and 
had sent out messengers as explained. To make a long 
story short, Tippoo Tib professed friendliness in a marked 
degree, and we left with the understanding that he would 
immediately send, us as many men as he could, but he 
feared he would not be able to make up the large number 
he had originally got together. 

My notes supply the following account of my return 
journey: — 



46 MY LIFE WTTIf 

Monday, September 5. — (The return from the Falls to 
Yambuya). Started from Yalisula (on Congo, the nearest 
point to Yambuya. Canoes from there to Falls, two and 
a half days on Congo River). We agreed that I should 
come back first. Wished old Jameson adieu, and started 
on the return journey to Yambuya about 7 a. m., with 
Abdallah and about twenty Manyemas. Was caught in 
an awful thunder-plump at 3 p. m., and at 4 had to stop, 
everything soaking. Rained and thundered nearly all 
night, and had to sleep (?) in my old macintosh. 

Tuesday, September 6. — Away at dawn, cold, all my traps, 
blankets, etc., wet and muddy. Tramped hard all day 
until 4:30, when another thunder-storm caught us. Got 
into a miserable little village called Yautaru and camped. 
Had a row with my men for being behind. Natives very 
scared, and our men looted everywhere. In an exceed- 
ingly bad temper. Had to lie down to sleep, hungry, and 
in wet clothes. Lost my coffee and tea by the infernal 
carelessness of the carriers, and that was my four months' 
allowance. Salt also gone, melted by the rain. 

Wednesday, September 7. — Away before daybreak, and 
tramped hard all day, feeling very unwell, and ate nothing. 
My men were knocked up at a village six hours from Yam- 
buya, and refused to proceed. I went on with my gun- 
bearer and got to the Yambuya camp at sundown; ate a 
little fish and turned in. 

September 8. — Very seedy this morning. 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 47 



CHAPTER IX. 

My notes break off suddenly at this point, and for five 
weeks there is no entry. The seediness which I noted on 
September 8 was but the beginning of a severe attack of 
dysentery, and until the middle of October I lay sick and 
helpless on my bed of grass, suffering almost all the hor- 
rors of the damned. Oh, the horrors of that weary time! 
Even now, freed as I am from all possibility of sickness 
under such horrifying conditions, I cannot help a shudder 
passing over me as my thoughts revert to that miserable 
period. Of succor there was little; of proper food there 
was none. Day after day, night after night, I lay in my 
scanty grass hut, with my ragged clothes drawn round my 
shivering frame, my strength ebbing slowly away, and 
life's little light growing dimmer and dimmer. Pain and 
ache, ache and pain — no change, no relief as the hours 
hurried onward in their flight, and the light of day gave 
way to the darkness of night. Now a comrade's face 
would look in upon me, and anon a friendly hand clasp 
mine; but still the pain went on, till the fevered imagination 
pictured the friendly glance as the face of a grinning fiend, 
the outstretched hand as the uplifted weapon about to 
strike. Then a troubled sleep would come, and I would 
live again through past dangers and difficulties, with hor- 
rors multipled one hundred-fold. 

Oh, those long nights! How I used to hate them! With 
the daylight and the activity and life of the camp, the pass- 
ing forms and familiar voices, one was soothed somewhat; 
but with the dark isolation of the night, the horrors grew 



4$ MV LIFE WITH 

upon me. Nothing would break the stillness but the un- 
certain tramp of the weary sentinel, and the hoarse, gut- 
tural notes of the Soudanese voice as it rang out the chal- 
lenge to the officer of the night. Then would come the 
softer tones of the English voice in its reply, and after the 
salutations all was still. Through the chinks of my hut- 
wall I could gaze out upon the dying camp-fires, peopling 
with my fancy the dying embers which lay together. Then 
it might be the breath of a shivering black man, seeking 
warmth, would bring them into new life, and send up such a 
weird, uncanny flash, as would transform the crouching 
figure, in my sight, into a frowning demon of darkness, 
ready to do battle with all humanity. No flight of fancy 
was too great, no conception too horrible for my fevered 
imagination. Nor was it pure fancy alone. With a start 
and a shudder I would find myself recalled from the realms 
of imagination to the grim realities, to discover the vile 
rats of the forest crowding my hut, holding high revel on 
my bed, and, emboldened by my apparent lifelessness, 
even nibbling my matted hair and beard. 

One incident in connection with this fearful time stands 
out vividly in my recollection. It was midnight on one 
occasion when Jameson, who happened to be officer of the 
watch, came into my hut to cheer me with a few moments 
of that cheerful conversation of his I liked so well. He 
was seated on a stool to the right of my bed, talking in 
the dim light which an improvised oil-lamp cast from the 
centre of the floor. As he chatted, and I lay listening, 
without strength to join much in his talk, a noise behind 
my bed made me give a sudden petulant movement to 
bring the hangings at my back more closely together. I 
heard a swishing, rattling sound as something tumbled to 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 49 

the floor, and saw Jameson, with a strange glare in his eye, 
seek to peer beneath the rude couch on which I lay. In a 
moment he had risen, and now with a look of horror he 
clasped a piece of wood standing near. As I caught his 
eye and followed his glance, I saw issuing from under my 
bed a large black snake. Quick as lightning my compan- 
ion struck it on the head with his stick, and with one blow 
killed it. Without knowing it, I had saved my life by my 
first movement above my head, and Jameson had now re- 
moved all danger. All talk was over between us, and, 
completely prostrated, I turned on my bed to try and ob- 
tain some sleep. Jameson proceeded on his rounds, but 
not before he had hung up the snake on a cross-beam at 
the end of my hut, with the intention of having it removed 
in the morning. 

I slept but for a very short time, to awaken in a fear- 
fully nervous and excited condition. So weak was I, that 
the entire occurrence of an hour before had fled my 
memory. The moon was up by this time, and as its rays 
streamed in through a slit in my hut, they fell upon the 
body of the snake which Jameson had hung up. I had, 
as I say, quite forgotten everything, and now as the moon- 
beams fell on the glistening form, wriggling and twisting 
and turning in its muscular convulsions, fearful and fan- 
tastic thoughts came to me. I sought to cry out, but my 
parched lips refused their office. I attempted to spring 
out of bed, but my weakened limbs possessed no power 
of movement. And so for hours I lay gazing on the hid- 
eous sight, swayed and tortured by doubts and horrors 
till the morning brought me peace. 

On October 15, in a condition which might in all truth 
be described as more dead than alive, I was enabled to crawl 



50 MY LtPE WITH 

from my bed into the open once more. Matters appeared 
to be precisely as they were when I had been taken ill. 
The expected porters had not arrived from Tippoo Tib, 
there was no news from Mr. Stanley, and all in camp were 
still waiting on events. Sickness and disease had thinned 
our ranks, while Troup, Bonny, and Jameson had had 
more or less severe touches of the fever. A rumor regard- 
ing Stanley's return had come to camp through a native 
chief, Ngunga, to whose village certain of Stanley's Zan- 
zibaris had returned. These Zanzibaris had represented 
that Stanley was at a village called Opoy, where a desper- 
ate fight had taken place, and from which they had only 
escaped with their lives. It was afterwards discovered, 
however, that their story was a pack of lies, and that they 
had deserted from Stanley on the march, making up this 
version of affairs to cover their reappearance. 

I learned, further, that on October 6 Major Barttelot and 
Troup had set out for Stanley Falls in order to see Tippoo 
Tib and come to some understanding with regard to the 
promised porters. They had had an interview with the 
Arab chief on October 24, when he had told them, as he 
had already sent word, that he expected to get the porters 
at Kassongo. Kassongo, however, was a month's journey 
away, and so it would be some weeks before they could 
arrive. With this assurance Barttelot and Troup had to 
be content. 

Matters were thus situated when additional troubles 
came upon us in connection with the Arabs, by whom we 
were now nearly surrounded. An Arab camp had been 
established at the rear of our own, and friendly relations 
were very soon established between our men and these 
wanderers of the forest. All this was very much against 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 5 I 

our wish, and boded very badly for us. The free, unre- 
strained life of the Arabs stood out in marked contrast 
to the discipline and methodical procedure we found it ab- 
solutely necessary to maintain, and a sense of grievance 
naturally took possession of our men. Arabs dilated on 
the freedom of their roving existence, and the spoils which 
awaited their marauding enterprises, while our men pour- 
ed forth the tale of their sufferings and their servitude. 
Discontent, of course, ensued; but, worse than this, the 
stories which our men told of discipline and difficulty ob- 
tained wide circulation through the Arabs, and undoubt- 
edly acted as a strong deterrent to our getting the porters 
for whom we so anxiously waited and watched. Hating 
control and discipline of every kind, the Manyema tem- 
perament was just the one to be affected by stories such 
as our men set afloat, and to s-hirk service with us every 
possible way. 

A further difficulty arose with these Arabs in con- 
nection with our food supply. Previous to their arrival 
we had experienced no difficulty whatever in obtaining fish 
and other articles of food from the surrounding natives, 
but on their advent the Arabs diverted the supply into their 
own camp. This was really a very serious matter, and the 
difficulties which beset us were increased a hundredfold 
by the instructions left us to keep on friendly terms with 
the Arabs. So serious did the situation become that on 
November 15 I received the following letter of in- 
structions from Major Barttelot: 

'' Camp, Yambuya Village, November 15, 1887. 

" Sir — You will proceed to Singatini for the purpose of 
interviewing Tippoo Tib on the following subject — viz., 
the prevention of the natives selling fish, etc., to me by 



5:2 MY LIFE WITH 

his men stationed here, though I have requested them to 
desist from it. You will explain to Tippoo Tib the facts 
of the case and ask him if the men cannot be sent farther 
away from our camp, with orders not to interfere with the 
traffic between me and the natives, or else send a respon- 
sible man as mumapara, with distinct orders not to inter- 
fere, or allow his men to interfere, between my men and 
the natives, or to tamper with the natives selling direct to 
us. The mumapara here at present, Majuto by name, 
has done all in his power to annoy me in this respect, 
though remonstrated with on several previous occasions. 
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant, 
*^ Edmund M. Barttelot, Major, 
" Commanding Ya??thcya Camp^ 

The following is the record in my notes of the journey 
I then undertook: — 

Saturday^ November 19. — Started away for the Falls 
again with Ferahani and six Zanzibaris, to palaver about 
Majuto. Slept at first village of the Yewako group, where 
Jameson and I camped in August. (I am in very poor 
condition, and should not have done this journey.) 

November 20. — Pouring wet day, feet much swollen, 
legs stiff, and very cold, tramping waist deep in swamps 
and up river-beds; slept wet and cheerless in the forest. 

November 21. — Feet and legs swollen and painful, road 
sodden and swampy, river high from previous day's rain. 
Arrived in Yalisula at 2 p. m. Had to wait until the 
following morning for canoe, as big market engrossed the 
people's attention. 

November 22. — Away from Yalisula at 5.30 a.m. At 
Kata-Muri canoe men cleared out, jumping in the water 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 53 

and leaving us to get ashore as best we could. Arrived at 
Abdallah's village at 4 p. m. Wanted to go on by moon< 
light, but could not. 

November 23. — Away at 6 a. m. with six of the most 
unmitigated scoundrels as canoe-men, I've yet seen. Had 
great trouble in procuring fresh relays of men, and had to 
bribe the last lot with ten brass rods to take me on by 
moonlight. Caught in very heavy thunder-storm, and 
got into Stanley Falls about midnight with everything 
drenched. 

Noveinber 24. — Had an audience with the chief Arabs. 
Tippoo Tib had left five days before for Kassongo. Selim 
bin Mohammed did not go. Result of palaver was that 
Selim bin Mohammed will return to Yambuya himself. 

Nove77iher 25. — Breakfasted with Sheik Nasaro bin Sudi's 
splendid spread in his seraglio. 

November 26. — After considerable delay we got away 
from the Falls about midday. Bwana Nzige gave me 
some carry, a fine large Kassongo goat, a bag of rice, 
some ghee and coffee for my return journey. We arrived 
at Abdallah's camp at sundown. 

Sufiday^ November 27. — Natives at Abdallah's village 
had all struck, and we started at 8 o'clock without them; 
Abdallah himself and his four Wangwanas paddling our 
two canoes. Arrived at Yalisula at 3 p. m. ; very scorching 
hot day. 

November 28. — Away from Yalisula about 6.30. Delayed 
by heavy rains which, however, kept up all day. Camped 
in the dripping cold forest without fire. 

November 29. — Away at daybreak. Had a bad night's 
rest; ants ate me until I was a mass of blotches, and felt 
scalded all over. No breakfast. The fellow who had 



54 



MV LIFE WITH 



charge of my fine Kassongo goat lost it in a swamp, and 
in looking for it we all got lost together, and thus wasted 
about four hours. Got to Diua at sundown. Feet very 
sore, and stiff all over. Natives brought me three large 
calabashes of malafu. I drank the potent palm-wine with 
much relish. 

JVovember 30. — Had a good feed of roasted corn and 
boiled rice, and started off briskly. Got into a herd of 
elephants at midday, and spent some time observing one 
roguish female sporting in the stream, within twenty yards 
from where I was concealed. I was furious at my gun- 
bearers being behind. Got to camp at 4 p. m., after a good 
twenty-five miles' tramp. Feet bad on account of the 
water and sand. 

I arrived back in camp to find all my comrades, like 
myself, suffering from illness. Rheumatism, fever, and 
billiousness was the order of the day amongst the white 
men, while the poor fellows under us were growing weaker 
and weaker, and dropping off day by day. By December 
5 there were thirty-one deaths amongst the blacks. Each 
morning a miserable sight met our eyes as, crowding round 
Bonny's hut, their number growing with each day, a mass 
of suffering Zanzibaris and Soudanese sought relief and 
medicine, from the scanty store he had at his disposal. 
The wet weather, the wretched food, and the weary, 
miserable existence we were forced to lead were telling on 
us all, but with most deadly effect on the poor creatures 
whose uncared-for flesh broke into festering sores of the 
most painful character. 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 55 



CHAPTER X. 

Drifting on in this wretched fashion, we at last 
reached the concluding week of the year, and that Christ- 
mas Day with which so much happiness and comfort is 
proverbially associated. Little happiness or comfort was 
ours, away in that wretched camp by the Aruwimi ; but for 
a brief spell our spirits mounted superior to all our trials 
and sufferings, and we revelled in something of the bright 
joyousness of the Christmas time. Jameson and I sat up 
till the small hours, engaged in what Troup called " a joint 
conspiracy " to provide the time-honored Christmas-cards 
for the party. 

Our Christmas proved one of the bright spots in the 
history of that dark and dreary time. Dull care was for 
the time forgotten ; late suffering and sickness pushed 
back, for the nonce, into the forgetfulness of the past. 
The dainty bits of all our scanty stores were produced. 
Each of us contributed something to the general comfort, 
and all combined to make the day of special comfort and 
happiness. We succeeded in a rare degree, and with 
song, joke, and story filled all the pleasant hours. Our 
people, too, had a holiday, and, that they might not be 
left out of our rejoicing, each received a Christmas-box 
in the shape of brass rods (currency of the country). 
How we laughed and chatted and joked ! We were boys 
again, with all the keen zest for fun and banter of our 
youthful days. Nothing was too insignificant for our 
mirth. Even the very scraps of newspapers which we 
had become possessed of through our store packages were 



56 MV LIFE WITH 

pressed into our service. What a fund of material for 
imagination and suggestion the advertisement columns 
supplied us with ! Here it was a maid who wanted a sit- 
uation, there a widow seeking another partner in her life's 
journey. Now it was an agony column notice, and again 
a quack-medicine vender's announcement of his life-sav- 
ing wares. That maid ! What sort of a young woman 
was she ? Was she light or dark, short or tall ? Had she 
gray eyes or brown ? If we were engaging a maid, what 
sort of a young woman would we select? And that 
widow ! What sort of an old party was she ? But why 
old ? She might be young and pretty, with a taste for 
African adventurers. Would she have suited any of us ? 
Whom would she select ? Would it be Troup ? or which 
of us ? No need for old Jameson to strike in ; he was 
booked already. How we joked and chaffed each other. 
It seems all so very ridiculous now, but it was so intensely 
funny then. And that agony column advertisement ! 
Poor Regie ! Was he still waiting outside St. James's 
Park Station for the faithless Lil ? What a wealth of love 
was his ! Was it, though ? The young man seemed to 
be pretty well up in phrasing his messages. There was 
the suggestion of an old master about his literary work- 
manship. How often had he written via the agony 
column to another Lil before ? Faithless Regie ! And 
Lir? Did she frequently use the St. James's Park Station 
as a meeting-place ? What a funny lot of lovers these 
people in civilized places were. Oh ! for that life-saving 
elixir. Wouldn't Bonny give the old gentleman a good 
order for it if he could ! How useful it would be ! How 
many weeks of illness would it have saved us from ! Ah, 
these sick days of ours ! But we must not talk of them. 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 57 

To-day all this must be forgotten. Let us not bother 
further with the ills of life. They will be with us again 
all too soon. To-day let us eat, drink, and be merry, for 
we know not what to-morrow may bring. Let us ask 
Bonny for a song. 

The hours pass on, and on their wings they carry us the 
night. The day has closed, its light has fled, and now a 
soft silver moonlight streams down upon us. We say 
'' Good night, God bless you/' and all prepare to turn in. 
As I stroll down through the camp to my hut, my feelings 
undergo a change. I cannot help a sensation of sadness 
stealing over me. How calm and still everything is. 
Nothing disturbs the silence of the night but the dull 
sound of the rushing waters, as they come coursing along 
from the glistening rapids ahead. The camp-fires are 
flickering low, the greater number of our men have gone 
indoors, but there are still a few lingering round the dying 
flames. As I pass along their attitudes change somewhat, 
and their dull and weary eyes peer hopelessly into mine. 
How the dark faces are lined with their misery and suf- 
fering as the red light flashes upon it. What a world of 
hopelessness and agony is in their glance. Death is about. 
He has marked many of them for his own. In too many 
cases his call will be a speedy one. Thirty-nine graves 
now in our little God's Acre, and six months gone. Good 
God ! will these porters never come ? Must all of us lie 
down and rot and die ? Poor wretches ! if we could only 
help you. But we cannot. May the Great Spirit pity 
and succor us all ! 

And so the year went out. 



58 ^y LIFE WITH 



CHAPTER XI. 

The New Year found us still waiting. There was no 
news of Mr. Stanley, and no porters yet from Tippoo Tib. 
What were we to do ? Every- day saw our men growing 
weaker, our numbers growing smaller. The five months 
which Mr. Stanley had counted on being away had come 
and gone. Still there was no news. The loss of the goods 
in our charge would, according to the letter of June 24, be 
certain ruin to the Expedition. Our men were too weak 
to carry them. We could not afford to go forward and 
leave any behind. There was nothing for it but to wait 
and hope on still. My notes will best tell the tale of our 
every-day life from this point : — 

Sunday^ Ja7iuary i, was celebrated with a jam pudding 
of my own manufacture, and a goat. Weather fine and the 
river very low, the reef of rocks across the river opposite 
the camp being almost bare. 

Friday^ January 6. — Nassibu, an Arab of Tippoo Tib's, 
visited us, bringing, as a present, some Stanley Falls rice 
and a goat. He told - an absurd yarn of Abdallah having 
seen Stanley, and he is off to Abdallah' s camp to get in- 
formation. 

Monday^ January 9. — Selim bin Mohammed arrived 
from the Falls. He says he has heard no news from Tip- 
poo Tib yet, but he expects batches of men for us to arrive 
from Kassongo in about twenty days. He says they will 
probably come in companies of fifty or sixty men each, on 
account of the limited canoe accommodation. This ap- 
pears strange, for at certain times there have been upwards 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 



59 



of five hundred men making the journey together. He 
says, also, that the Congo is very low, and consequently 
the canoes cannot get over the rapids if they are heavily 
laden. Jameson continues collecting birds and painting 
them. We sketched the second rapids from below the 
camp a few days ago. I did mine in Indian ink, and pro- 
duced a fairly soft efect. We are all most awfully sick 
and tired of this wretched place, and of our scanty fare; 
none of us are really well. I never spent so many un- 
profitable months before, and only trust we shall get a 
sufficient number of men from Tippoo Tib to make a start 
in February. It seems very strange that we have heard 
nothing of Stanley, who was to have returned last Novem- 
ber, and we can only account for his prolonged absence 
by supposing that he has had to go a longer journey from 
Lake Albert Nyanza than he had previously anticipated. 
If anything has happened him, it will be a bad look-out 
for the Expedition, and I do not know how the relief goods, 
the merchandise and ammunition — 700 loads — will ever 
reach him. There appears to me to be some motive for 
Tippoo's having delayed providing the 700 men he 
promised. It is hardly feasible, that excuse of his about 
his men having refused to carry our loads on account of 
their weight. His authority certainly ought to overcome 
any scruples of that sort, and, besides, 2,500/. is very good 
pay for his Manyema slaves; according to the reports that 
have reached us from the men who deserted Stanley there 
must be abundance of ivory. There is something at the 
bottom of it all, and perhaps before long we shall know 
more about it. 

There are forty-one deaths among our men up to date; 
this, out of about 250 men in six months, is high mortality. 



6o MY LIFE WITH 

There are, besides, about fifty or sixty poor wretches, both 
Zanzibaris and Soudanese, who can scarcely crawl about 
— perfect skeletons. We can do nothing for them; there 
is certainly not sufficient medicine of the required kind, 
and we can give them no food but the manioc root, which 
in their debilitated condition is both highly indigestible 
and repulsive. 

Selim bin Mohammed visited us this morning and 
talked over matters relating to Tippoo Tib's men. He 
also told us of two more deserters from H. M. S., which he 
will catch in a day or two, and we may then get more in- 
formation about Stanley's movements and about the 
country. 

Tuesday^ January lo. — The ordinary daily routine of 
life in our camp was as follows (I quote from my diary) : — 

'^First drum sounds at daylight for the men to wash, 
&c. About 6 A. M. the second drum goes, and there is 
general parade, when the men are told off for building 
huts, clearing grass, &c. Breakfast consisting of a cup of 
tea, plain boiled rice, green with mouldiness, and fried 
plantains at about 6.30. Then the sick men muster at 
Bonny's house and receive a little medicine (strongly di- 
luted) for their ulcerated sores, and until 11.30, when the 
drum sounds for knock off work, we spend our time in 
various ways. Jameson and I are generally sketching. 
Major B. walking up and down; Troup and Bonny smoking, 
chatting, reading, &c. From 11.30 to 2 p. m. the men 
rest, and we lunch — the same bill of fare as at breakfast. 
The afternoon is put in in the same way as the morning, 
and at 5.30 the drum sounds stop work; Vv^ash up, dinner at 
7 p. M. Same bill of fare, boiled rice and fried plantains. 
Sometimes we are fortunate enough to get a little fish, 



STANLE Y'S REAR G UARD, 6 1 

and then our spirits rise perceptibly. We take it in turns 
to be the orderly officers of the day, to keep order, to see 
the camp cleared up, to visit the sentries, and turn the 
guard out three times during the night. 

Wednesday, January ii. — My birthday. 

Thursday, January 12. — Jameson and I made water-col- 
or sketches of what is probably a new antelope, sent us by 
Sheik Nassibu. Afterwards skinned it and ate a portion 
for dinner ; it was magnificent. 

Friday, January 13. — I painted a tree this morning, 

which was covered with beautiful crimson flowers 

A dead body floated down the river, and was caught up in 
some overhanging branches opposite our camp. It was 
evidently a native, with a spear wound in the chest, and 
was the corpse of a fine, big man. Bonny sick. 

Saturday, January 14. — I was busy all day on a comic 
drawing of some of the E. P. R. Expedition. This after- 
noon another dead body was caught up in the branches of 
a tree opposite the camp. This one a native woman, with 
her throat cut from ear to ear. She must have been in 
the water for some time, as her skin was white, and in 
many places washed away. The face bore a horrible ex- 
pression, the lower jaw quite bare, and nose and eyes quite 
gone; ghastly was the whole concern. This makes about 
seven dead bodies that have been swept into the branches 
of this tree since I came here — August 14. 

I received by an Arab from Rachid (the head Arab who 
_ burnt the Falls Station) a fine present of three knives and 
four spears. One of the knives is quite the finest I have 
ever seen, and one of the spears is also new to me. I am 
awfully pleased with the present, and also that he has kept 
his promise so well; Arabs* promises are, as a rule, like 



62 MY LIFE WITH 

pie-crust. I gave old Jameson one of the knives and one 
of the spears. Jameson is an awfully good fellow, ener- 
getic, amusing, very clever in many ways, and has exceed- 
ingly good taste. He is one of the best fellows I ever 
met, or am likely to meet. His kind attention to me dur- 
ing my attack of dysentery probably saved my life. I 
shall always remember that. 

Sunday^ January 15. — I finished my comic drawing to- 
day, and it was much laughed at. I got Assad Farran to 
transcribe into Arabic a letter to Rachid, thanking him for 
his present. Killed a goat to-day, so we are in good spir- 
its. By Jove ! what a relief it will be when we get orders 
to move from this w^earisome camp. I have been here now 
five months — a long time to be stuck idle in a place. 
Jameson drew my big knife to-day. 

Monday y January 16. — Selim bin Mohammed called on 
me this morning. He told me, in course of conversation, 
that the Manyema men they use as soldiers are virtually 
their slaves, and only receive pay when they can obtain 
ivory; they then receive a third part. The people at Ta- 
bora only count in sevens. The belief in the transmigra- 
tion of souls is common with many tribes, both here and 
further to the eastward. Selim says that on more than 
one occasion he has seen the natives in these parts appar- 
ently recognize in a Manyema man a former companion, 
and rush about, shouting, crying, and making great dem- 
onstrations of joy. The natives around here have told 
Selim that when they first saw the Arabs with their guns 
they decided among themselves that they were men from 
some other world and in connection with the elements, 
as their guns, belching forth fire, resembled the lightning, 
and the report that followed reminded them of thunder. 



STAJVLEY'S R^AR GUARD, (^-^ 

Upon inquiring as to the future successor of Tippoo Tib, 
Selim replied that his son ^^Sefo,"who is now chief of 
Kassongo, will inherit the sole authority. There will 
probably be no disagreement among the other Arabs, as 
^^ Sefo " has been initiated into the slaving business, and 
is popular. Tippoo Tib invests most of his profits in land 
and houses in Zanzibar, and also lends large amounts of 
guns and goods upon interest to responsible Arabs, in or- 
der to start them, and also in order to retain authority over 
them. Not well to-day — something wrong with my liver, 
I suppose. 

Tuesday^ January 17. — Went off with Jameson this 
morning, to botanize. We made a collection of flowers 
with their leaves. This seems to be the hottest season in 
these parts; 80 and 90 in the shade is common, whilst in 
the sun the glass indicated 136, and we took it in, for fear 
of its bursting, as it is only fixed to register 145. 

Wednesday y January 18. — Finished very rough sketch. 
Jameson had an interview with a snake when taking his 
bath. Very hot and muggy; looks like a storm to-night. 

Thursday^ Jamcary \(), — Made rough water-color sketch 
of "Omari," one of our table servants. Uneventful. 
Jameson drawing spears and an awfully curious caterpil- 
lar, 

Friday^ January 20. — Very heavy thunder-storm last 
night ; rain blew into my house and wet all my traps. 
Rained more or less all day, and men were not turned to. 
Made pencil drawing of Abu Bak. More deaths. There 
are now forty-five of our men laid in the graveyard. We 
arrived in this camp on August 14, and there were then 
only eight men dead, so that there have been thirty-four 
deaths since then out of about 240 men, Zanzibaris and 



64 MY LIFE Wll^Jfi 

Soudanese. Selim bin Mohammed, who has always been 
most pleasant and agreeable, is now beginning to get 
touchy. Evidently we shall never get the 700 men Tip- 
poo Tib promised us. 

January 23, 8.30 p. m. — It is raining and blowing like 
a hurricane. A part of-the north wall of my house came 
down just now with a crash. Earth gave way; lot of things 
swimming about, but shall have to let them soak till morn- 
ing. This is the worst storm I have seen up here. 

Tuesday^ January 24. — The rain lasted nearly all night 
and made my traps in a deplorable state. Grass houses 
are not able to withstand bad storms. It seems curious 
that the only three Zanzibaris I have drawn here should 
have died, one after the other, in rapid succession. I 
went up to Selim bin Mohammed's camp this morning and 
had a long chat with him. He showed me one of his 
slaves (a man who had only recently arrived from Zanzi- 
bar), who had traveled to Emin Bey's province, since Dr. 
Junker left, by way of Uganda and Nyoro. This man 
had often seen Emin Bey, and also the two steam-launches, 
which are on the Upper Nile. He told us that the country 
was fairly open, and that to get to Emin's province it is 
necessary to cross a high range of mountains (these are 
Grant's Blue Mountains). He also stated that the people 
of the south side of the Albert Nyanza Lake are exceed- 
ingly warlike ; their only weapons, however, are a large 
knife and shield ; that they fight bravely, and are very 
cunning in their mode of attack. In answer to a query of 
mine, as to what Selim really thought about Mr. Stanley's 
prolonged absence — its cause, in fact — he replied that, by 
what the deserters had told him of Stanley's refusing to 
allow the-m to gather manioc root and collect food from 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 65 

the villages, the men were consequently in a state of semi- 
starvation, and very dissatisfied ; that they were driven along 
by blows, and that large numbers of the 400 men Stanley 
took with him had deserted. (We know positively of about 
thirty.) Selim then continued that, as this was in every 
probability true, Stanley would be much weakened, and 
unable to keep off any large body of attacking natives, 
especially such men as those he will encounter. Then 
Selim said that, considering all this, he himself thinks that 
Stanley must be in trouble; hence the delay and absence 
of tidings. Tippoo Tib has Arab slavers stationed right 
into the borders of Emin's province, but there has never 
hitherto been any communication across from the Lake 
District, where they are, to the Falls, although it is but 
400 miles or so. They prefer going direct across through 
Uganda, as the journey to the East coast is much shorter 
that way. Emin Pasha has long been known to the Arabs 
as ^^Abdul Emeen.*' Selim says that he has large quantities 
of ivory, but it is distributed at his different stations. 
Emin has his largest camp upon an island, which has the 
river Nile on one side and the open water of the Albert 
Lake on the other. There are three kings up there who 
are very powerful and likely to cause Stanley trouble, as 
he must necessarily pass through one of the territories 
before he can reach Emin Pasha. 

At Luemba, near Karema, it is a common punishment 
to amputate one hand and gouge out an eye. Generally 
this is inflicted upon thieves, but there is no hard-and-fast 
rule about it. Selim afterwards came down and told 
Jameson and myself some interesting things about justice 
in Zanzibar. He said that, if there were $1,000 in dis- 
pute, and the case was taken before the head judge, 



66 MY LIFE WITH 

" Mohammed bin Selim/' there would perhaps be $100 
awarded to both sides, and the remainder was appropriated. 
Zanzibar is a fine country, evidently, for the rich man, as 
any poor man who seeks justice for wages, assault, etc., 
is cast into prison, instead of being recompensed for his 
injuries. 

Nasaro bin Sudi, who is now at the Falls, was unfortu- 
nate enough to lose most of his property some little time 
ago. It appears that he had a namesake at Manyema who 
was killed in a fight. The news reached Zanzibar of the 
death of Nasaro bin Sudi, and his relatives immediately 
divided up his property. Soon after, a letter was received 
by these relatives from the supposed deceased, who stated 
his intention of shortly returning to Zanzibar, which he 
did, and found his property divided up and most of the 
money spent. This must have been very awkward for 
poor Nasaro. Major Barttelot still entertains the plan of 
going to Stanley's relief with as many of Tippoo Tib's men 
as he can muster, when Tippoo returns from Kassongo. 
He is due about the 5th of next month. It has turned 
into a beautiful night, the moon giving an extraordinary 
brightness. 

Wednesday^ January 25. — Another poor fellow dead 
(forty-seven). Very hot day; the glass registered 90 in 
Jameson's house, and that is decidedly the coolest place 
in the camp. Went out sketching, but found the heat too 
great. Bright moonlight night. 

Thursday^ January 26. — Very cloudy, and rained some 
in the morning. Sketching a portion of the interior of our 
enclosure of the camp — just a corner, showing Jameson's 
house and my own (pen-and-ink). 

Friday^ January 27. — This morning at daybreak Selim 



STAN-LEY'S REAR GUARD. 6 J 

bin Mohammed's men attacked a village about a mile 
from camp, down the river on the other side. They killed 
four natives, including the chief, whose hand they cut off 
and brought in as a trophy, besides twenty-seven women 
captives, two youths, and three good canoes. Finished 
my pen-and-ink drawing of a corner of our camp. It was 
a cloudy day, and rained a little in the morning. Feeling 
more like myself to-day. Natives are in a very disturbed 
state, and are out on the river in their canoes. 

Saturday, January 28. — Beautiful day. Made a draw- 
ing of one of Selim's band, a Manyema man and his drum; 
good portrait, and characteristic. I intend drawing Ali 
bin Mohammed, the Persian, to-morrow, as he posed this 
evening when lamenting his hard luck in being here with 
no food but manioc roots and grass, and no covering but 
his old thin loin-cloth. 

Poor fellow, I somehow have taken quite a liking to 
him. He said to me this evening, his eyes turned upwards 
and his left hand raised to the sky, the other on his breast, 
" O nchi angu Teheran," meaning '' Oh Teheran, my coun- 
• try!" He reminded me of a picture in an old '^ Illustrated 
News," of Irving in ^* Faust'' on the Brocken. Ali has 
been a soldier in the service of Sultan Bargash of Zanzi- 
bar. He's drooping, poor chap, his ribs are becoming 
prominent. Another death this evening — a Soudanese 
soldier. Forty-eight graves now. The Arabs from the 
camp above us (about ten miles above the rapids) went 
for a village a few days ago; killed seven men and took 
twenty-nine women slaves. The natives from the other 
side of the river who killed four of Selim bin Mohammed's 
men in the night a few weeks ago, and went off with nine 
guns, came back with three guns to-day, after being threat- 



68 MY liPe with 

ened. I expect Selim will send some men across the rivei" 
and slaughter them if they do not produce the remaining 
six guns. Poor devils ! it seems hard luck. First they 
were driven from their village, where our camp now 
stands, and then, after making a little settlement on the 
other side, they must have had at least thirty men killed 
at different times when the Arabs attacked them, besides 
losing a large number of women and having to pay a con- 
siderable amount of ivory. 

Tuesday^ January 31. — Very hot day; 136^ in the sun. 
Did nothing. Had a chat with Selim bin Mohammed this 
morning about cannibals. He told me he had frequently 
seen the natives he used to have with him in these parts 
(some of the same ones accompanied Jameson and me on 
our first journey to the Falls) kill a slave, cut it up, and 
eat the flesh in front of him. 

Selim is quite a linguist. He speaks Swahili, Arabic, 
Hindostani, Malagasy (Madagascar), and about six differ- 
ent native dialects, or rather languages, which are in use 
between the east coast of Mombassa and this part of the 
country. His men, who are of various tribes, speak their, 
own languages to each other, although, of course, they all 
speak Swahili fluently, if not grammatically. He says that 
between Kassongo and the east of Lake Tanganyika, the 
native carriers who form Tippoo Tib's large caravans, 
carry human flesh with them. They divide the slaves they 
catch en route, Tippoo Tib takes one-half, and the car- 
riers the other portion, w^hom they kill and eat. Now we 
are through this month, and still no news. I am still very 
anxious to know the cause of the delay in Stanley's re- 
turn. He is not the man to be delayed much wnthout 
very strong reasons, and if he was waiting for Emin to 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 69 

collect his people, surely he would have sent a messenger 
to us, as he does not know v/hether we are on the road 
with the loads or not; and if Emin elects to come away, 
he will not require the loads of merchandise, and it is 
only natural that we should hear some news by messen- 
gers. Perhaps a party of men have been sent down to us, 
and have been killed on the road. That seems the only 
conclusion we can form. This is the sixteenth day of this 
moon, and Tippoo Tib is due at the Falls from Kassongo 
in about fifteen or twenty days more. I wonder if he will 
bring us our 700 men. I doubt it. If he does not we are 
properly in, a fix, and God only knows how we shall ever 
move out of here with upwards of 700 loads and only about 
sixty men able to carry, out of 250. [Jameson's donkey 
died to-day of general decline; that is the second donkey 
dead from decline.] We heard that of the six donkeys Stan- 
ley took with him, only two were alive. It is almost impos- 
sible for men to travel these dense forest tracks; they have 
to crawl in many places, pushing their loads ahead of them. 
Then there are many deep rivers and swamps. We also 
heard that Stanley found no native paths to follow, and 
had to cut his way through the dense undergrowth. The 
scrub is so dense that it is almost dark in the bush, cold 
and clammy, slippery; soil generally about a foot or six 
inches deep, and drip, drip, constantly from the tall trees 
overhead, and a foul, poisonous atmosphere from dead 
leaves and other decaying vegetation. 

Thursday y February 2. — It was very cold last night; the 
glass was down to 67^, and at midday it registered 135^ in 
the sun. We hear that ten canoe-loads of men have arrived 
at the Falls from Kassongo, and that they are being sent 
to a place called Lomani, to settle some little unpleasant- 



70 MY LIFE WITH 

ness which exists between the Arabs there and the natives. 
Selim has a letter to say that Tippoo Tib has written him 
from Kassongo, but that the letter will be sent to him by- 
and-by. 

I made an outline drawing of a knife Jameson bought 
with an empty powder-flask, a few days ago. It is a 
strange-looking affair with points on both sides, and is 
used as a boomerang, I think. At any rate, a Soudanese 
sergeant says he has seen the same kind of a thing used 
as a throwing-knife by some remote tribes in the Soudan. 
It is very cold again this evening, and heavy dew falling. 
We were quite cheery, walking up and down outside the 
fort after dinner, until about 11.15 p- ^- We sang all the 
snatches of song we remembered, and the choruses echoed 
across the river amidst the roar of the opposite rapids. 
Had a long chat with John Henry, one of our Zanzibaris, 
who was out on the Congo in the State service. I dotted 
down a few useful sentences in Swahili, in which language 
I am making rapid progress. He also told me much of 
Zanzibar life, and of his former experiences when in the 
mission under Bishop Steere, who took him to England 
when a boy. He is the only man who speaks English well 
among the Zanzibaris here. 

Friday^ February 3. — I spent most of the day at the 
Kiswahili language. Some natives from the village that 
Selim bin Mohammed raided a few days ago visited the 
fort during lunch-time, and came into the mess-house to 
see the white men, whom they had heard of, but never be- 
fore seen. Among them was the brother of the chief who 
was killed. He is a very shifty-looking chap, big, power- 
ful, and scowling. They asked if we were all born of one 
mother, and upon being told we were (for fun), they ele- 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 7 1 

vated their eyebrows, looked at one another, and covered 
their open mouths with their hands. They had come to 
see the Arabs about redeeming their women, who were 
taken slaves, for ivory. The Arabs are chanting their 
melancholy war-song to-night, as I write, preparatory to 
crossing the river before the moon rises. They are going 
to attack, destroy the village, and kill as many of N'Gun- 
ga's people as they can at early dawn. Some natives have 
taken up their quarters upon the biggest rocks in the 
rapids. This arrangement of the Arabs is on account of 
the murder of their two men a few weeks ago. Poor 
N'Gunga ! I shall be sorry if he is killed, for I never saw 
a finer type of savage — powerfully built, full of pluck, and 
a decided air of command about him. He would make a 
very good study for a tale, and I intend making ample 
notes of his vicissitudes since the Arabs first attacked them 
on August 16, 1887. 

We hear that Tippoo Tib will be here in about twenty 
days with a large number of men, and that his uncle is at 
Wadelai, in Emin Bey's province. More of this anon. 

Saturday^ February 4. — Jameson's third anniversary of 
his marriage: we were not able to do much in the celebra- 
tion line, unfortunately. The Arabs started firing at early 
dawn this morning, and then set the village on fire. It was 
a striking sight to see it burning. The poor natives in 
hundreds took to their canoes, and made for up-stream, 
but they are being slaughtered there by the Arabs, who 
inhabit an island in the midst of almost impassable rapids. 
Plenty of dead bodies to-day for the fish in the Aruwimi. 
They also raided six fine canoes, Bugari, a Soudanese 
soldier, who entered my house at midnight some two or 
three months ago, and stole some goat meat, and who wa§ 



72 



MY LIFE WITH 



flogged with lashes with a chicotte, and who has had to 
parade daily in the sun in heavy chains ever since, for 
punishment, has evidently grown tired of his duty, and 
has bolted this evening with his guard's gun and twelve 
rounds of ammunition. He is a very hardened scoundrel, 
and I should not be surprised if he has concealed himself 
near by in the forest, so as to have a shot at one of us, as 
we walk up and down in the evening after dinner outside 
the fort. A search-party has just started, lo p. m. 

Sunday y February 5. — This morning some of the Arab 
raiders came down from up-river, with news of a defeat, 
and ten of their number cut to pieces by the natives, who 
sought refuge in their canoes above the rapids. Selim and 
his men started, some by this bank and some in canoes, 
to continue their bloody work up the river. They returned 
this evening, having only killed two natives. Very hot 
to-day. No news of the escaped prisoner Bugari, although 
search-parties have been out. 

Monday^ February 6. — Went up to see Selim, and to 
hear of his adventures yesterday. He told me that he 
found the bulk of the natives, perhaps 200, had passed 
down the river under cover of the darkness the previous 
night, and he only found three canoes with natives: he 
shot two, and wounded more. Upon reaching the place 
where ten of his men had been cut to pieces the preceding 
day, he found their fingers tied in strings to the scrub on 
the river-bank, and some cooking-pots containing portions 
of their limbs and bones, which the natives had had to 
abandon when they ran the gauntlet down the river. They 
must have had a big feed off the stout Manyema men ! 

Made a drawing of the burning of N'Gunga's village. 
Jameson painted a snake and an eel Major B, and 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 73 

Jameson will probably go up to the Falls on Saturday to 
see Tippoo Tib, who must have returned from Kassongo. 
Stanley surely must have met with a defeat, or we should 
have heard from him. If they are all cut up, as we cannot 
help concluding, it will be a bad business, and we must go 
up at least i,ooo strong, as the natives, whoever they are, 
who have beaten them must be warlike and strong, and 
after their success they will probably be very devils to 
keep off. It becomes more serious day after day, and God 
only knows how we shall manage. 139^ in the sun and 
,91^ at sundown in the shade. 

Tuesday^ February 7. — This morning at about 9 a. m. a 
terrific thunder-storm came on, and lasted till midday; 
the afternoon and evening remaining dull and cloudy. The 
temperature was very low. My grass hut leaked miserably, 
and I have damp blankets to-night. We had - a talk over 
this serious delay of Stanley's, and are much of an opin- 
ion that he has been cut off, if not worse. We hear a 
rumor that Tippoo Tib has returned from Kassongo, and 
has gone down to Rachid's, Lomami River, to fight some 
big tribe. This river is now awfully low, the rocks in the 
rapids being quite bare. Too miserable to draw to-day. 

Wednesday^ February 8. — I am orderly officer to-day. 
An old empty cartridge-box was picked up in the river to- 
day; it was much broken and sodden. It must have been 
floating down the river for a very long distance/ Seiim 
bin Mohammed told me this morning that Bugari, the es- 
caped prisoner, had told him, preparatory to escaping, 
that his life was not worth living, marching up and down 
in the sun all day, and that he knew he would be shot 
when caught, and that he intended shooting Barttelot dead 
before he would be captured. Miserably cold day. 



74 ^y LIFE WITH 

Another poor fellow dead. (Fifty-one graves.) There 
are about thirty men who are simply skin and bones, un- 
able to walk; and to see the poor dying wretches, their 
great hollow eyes staring at vacancy, sitting naked 
on the dusty ground, propped up by their elbows, with 
drooping heads, gradually dying; it is a hard sight. Poor 
devils, they do not seem to care an atom about death; in 
fact, they seem apparently to look forward to it as a relief 
to their sufferings. They are nearly all slaves. They 
have lived hard, worked hard, and now are dying hard — 
it's hard luck indeed. I was working at the Kiswahili lan- 
guage all the afternoon, and am getting on well. 

Thursday^ February 9. — An Arab named ^^ Dumba " 
came to me to-day to have his portrait drawn. He was 
very vain and particular about the folds of his spotless 
white muslin-like headdress and shirt. He gave me a 
very curious knife when I had done, and thanked me with 
many Kiswahili compliments. Selim bin Mohammed also 
came and visited me, and gave me a knife of the same 
kind. I was again working at the language, translating 
from a Swahili book of tales and romances. Took some 
filthy kind of physic, and am much better to-day. A 
poor fellow named Osmani, a Zanzibari, who was with me 
at Bangala, when in the State service, died to-day. It was 
painful to see his large hollow eyes following me about, 
watching wistfully for a piece of tobacco or a pinch of 
salt. The poor man was merely a mass of bones, a sad 
sight. (Fifty-three graves.) Temperature 130^ in sun, 
90° in shade. Durgari Mahommed captured and tried to- 
day. He will be shot to-morrow morning. 

Saturday^ February 11. — Very hot and muggy; 90° in 
shade. Selim bin Mohanimed came down and had a long 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 75 

talk with me this morning. He will accompany Major B. 
and Jameson to the Falls next Tuesday. Translating Kis- 
wahili; not feeling bright. Selim has sent a number of 
people down river to where N'Gunga's people have sought 
refuge. They are going to carry on their bloody work. 

Sunday^ February 12. — Was very sick to-day. Noth- 
ing of importance occurred. Very sultry; river extremely 
low. 

Monday, February 13. — Jameson and Major B. are busy 
preparing for their journey to the Falls to-morrow. Had 
a chat with Selim this morning. Very sultry; heavy 
thunder-storm in the afternoon. Another man dead (fifty- 
four graves.) 

Tuesday, February 14. — Jameson, Major B. and Selim 
bin Mohammed started about eight o'clock this morning 
for the Falls. I have moved into Jameson's house. 
Sketched two Zanzibaris. This evening about six o'clock 
ten large canoe-loads of N'Gunga's people came up the 
river, and returned to their village. 9 p. m. they are beat- 
ing their spears (their drums being taken by the Arabs 
when they destroyed the village). Very dull and cold. 
Glass 75° inside at 12 p. m. We are very quiet now. 
Sorry Jameson's gone. 

Wednesday, February 15. — Went on to the rocks out in 
the river to sketch the camp, but was disappointed with 
the view. Natives out in their canoes fishing. ^^Kuja," 
a Zanzibari who deserted two days ago, was caught and 
brought back, and is to be in the guard-house until Bart- 
telot's return. His defence was that he had no sense. 

Thursday, February 16. — Another man dead (fifty-five 
graves). This morning Bonny picked out ten men for 
rifle practice; the mark was a big box at 200 yards; 100 



76 MY LIFE WITH 

shots and only one bullet struck. Five of the men did 
not want to shoot; one had bad eyes, another sore legs, 
&c., and of the remaining five only one knew how to hold 
a gun. It is hard to have to trust our lives to such poor 
wretches as these, and I should not wonder if we are left 
in a hole with them yet. 

Friday ^ February 17. — Wet day and miserably chilly. 
Natives fishing under the face of the fort. Everything 
quiet. They told me last night that two of the Arabs had 
gone out in the early morning to gather plantain and had 
not returned, and that it was feared they had been caught 
and eaten by the Washeuzis below. Two kids (goats) 
were born this morning. 

Saturday^ February 18. — Rained during the night, and 
showery and heavy during the day. These rains ap- 
pear to be only local, as the river remains very low. I 
went up to Selim's camp this afternoon to arrange for a 
model to draw to-morrow, and they told me that two more 
of their number had been caught and eaten by the natives 
whom they raided some weeks ago. This will probably 
make Selim angry, as he went with Barttelot much against 
his will, and only left a few men and his women. 

This eternal waiting is awful; day after day passes; we 
see no strange face, we hear no news; our men are daily 
growing thinner and weaker, except in a few cases. Poor 
wretches! they lie out in the sun on the dusty ground, 
most of them with only a narrow strip of dirty cloth a 
couple of inches broad. There they lie all the livelong 
day, staring at vacancy, perfectly aware that they will 
never live to leave this camp. It was a truly pitiable 
sight, a few days ago, to see an emaciated skeleton crawl, 
with the aid of a stick, after a corpse that was being car- 



STANLEY'S REAR GUAR£>. Jr^ 

ried on a pole for interment. He staggered along, poor 
chap, and squatted down alongside the newly made grave, 
watching the proceedings with large round sunken eyes, 
knowing it was only a matter of a few days and he himself 
would be laid in the sod. He told me in a husky hollow 
voice, '* Amekwa rafiki angu'* (he was my friend). One 
poor fellow in particular — he is a mere mass of bones — 
persists in doing his work, and every evening he staggers 
into camp. He has been told to lie up, and his manioc 
shall be provided for him, but he refuses. He said to me, 
in reply to my expression of sympathy on observing how 
thin he was, " Only a short time more, Master." Death 
is wTitten in plain letters on many faces in this camp. 
Almost as many lives will be lost over this philanthropic 
mission, as there are lives to save of Emin's people. 

Sunday^ February 19. — To-day was very hot, the sun 
registering 135° outside; no news of the captured Arabs; 
they have undoubtedly been eaten. Drew two Manyema 
warriors this morning, and sketched a number of heads, etc. 

Monday^ February 20. — Another man dead (fifty-six 
graves). A man named Juma Mohindi was reported dead 
by John Henry, but when, however, they went to carry 
the corpse for interment, having already dug the grave, 
the supposed dead man was alive, and asking for water to 
be sprinkled on his chest. ^' The spirit has come back to 
that dead man. Master," said John. '' An hour ago he 
was dead, cold, and stiff.'" Had no sleep at all last night, 
and have been feeling very unwell to-day. In fact, I have 
taken no food. I feel very hot and feverish. Some 
Arabs returned from a raid down the river inland, on the 
opposite shore. They brought two large tusks, three or 
four women and five men natives. They had killed some 



78 MY LIFE WITH 

who resisted. They tell me that they heard from a wan- 
dering band of natives that a steamer was up a river about 
sixteen days from here, Rua, and that there were white 
men buying food, etc., from them. In proof of their yarn 
thev, produced some beads they had received in barter. 
It was rather picturesque to see these Arabs returning 
from the canoes, which they had made fast opposite our 
fort, and marching to their huts in Selim's camp; some 
carrying four or five big spears, earthenware cook-pots, 
etc., shields, mats, paddles, and numerous little nick-nacks 
which they had raided. Their prisoners were tied together, 
and loaded with cooking-pots, bark cloth, drums, etc., and 
two men naked and bruised bearing the tusks of ivory, 
which, judging from their size, would v/eigh about 75 to 
80 lbs. each. All the captives were naked. 

Tuesday^ February 21. — Last night there came a terrific 
storm. The lightning followed in such rapid successive 
flashes as to appear like one big blaze. The thunder 
crashed over our heads until it became deafening, while 
the wind howled through the camp, playing havoc with the 
grass roofs of the huts. It actually blew down an enor- 
mous tree just at the back of Selim's camp. I fared bad- 
ly, as usual, and had to get up and put my waterproof 
sheet over my mosquito curtain, or otherwise I should 
have been washed out. Everything soaked. Dull until 
twelve, noon, and sunny afternoon; bright moon until 9 
p. M. Now it is cloudy and thundering. The men who 
carried Barttelot's and Jameson's loads to Yalisula return- 
ed to-day. They report that Tippoo Tib is expected back 
from Kassongo in fifteen days with 1,000 men. Feeling 
very unwell to-day, and have taken some complicated tab- 
lets with unintelligible Latin abbreviations, which Bonny 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 79 

tells me will put some organ in activity, cause an overflow, 
and, in fact, rearrange internal affairs on an improved 
system. 

Wednesday y February 22. — Feeling much better this 
evening, the medicine having wrought wonders. John 
Henry was found out in some lying underhand proceed- 
ing this morning and cleared out. Heri went after him, 
and brought him back. He is tied up in the guard-house, 
and will have fifty lashes to-morrow morning. Made two 
successful drawings of a Manyema and Aruwimi woman's 
head. Had a very bad night, no sleep, and vomited. I 
was told up in Selim's camp that there were 150 men on 
their way here in connection with carrying our loads; I 
only hope it is true. 

Thursday y February 23.— Sheik Nassibu visited us to- 
day; no news. I sketched Majuta, Jameson's boy. Feel- 
mg more myself again. Heavy thunder-storm. Heard 
from some returned Arabs, who came back to-day with a 
few trophies and women, that the natives of a tribe named 
"Bessangata," three days' canoe journey down the river 
on the other bank, had seen the white men, before men- 
tioned as being on the Rua River, building a ca7np. Nas- 
sibu told me that two of his people had been caught and 
eaten by the natives near Yambau. He promised to send 
me some pumpkins from his camp; very cold to-night; 
glass down to sixty-four. 

Friday^ February 24. — Another man dead (fifty-eight). 
Drew two of our sick men. At about 4 p. m. a number of 
Manyemas arrived, and they say that the remainder (about 
150) will come in to-morrow. They are a wild-looking 
crowd, and seem to be much interested in us white men; 
most of them have never before seen any whites. Great 



8o MY LIFE WITH 

drumming, singing, etc. Am feverish to-night. There 
are lots of native slave women with the Manyemas. 

Saturday^ February 25. — Particularly hot day; 91^ in 
shade, and 132^ in the sun. More Manyemas came in 
to-day, drumming, singing, guns firing, etc. 

Sheik Nassibu and five more Arabs came and visited 
me this morning. Made a drawing of Hadi bin Nassib, a 
typical Arab, who was one of my visitors; and also of a 
Manyema making grass-cloth (showing the hand-loom 
process). They were much interested with my sketches. 
Sketched a peculiar carved bowl which Bonny bought 
from the Manyemas. Feverish again this evening. I am 
in a deplorably bad way for clothes; the few things are 
shrunk and torn and cobbled until I can scarcely 
wear them. God only knows how I shall appear when this 
expedition is at an end, and we arrive once more in civil- 
ization — no boots, that's a certainty. 

Sunday^ February 26. — I went this morning to Nassi- 
bu's camp, which is situated about one hour's march from 
here on the Falls path. He received me with much cere- 
mony, etc., and at my request drummed to the natives 
who were in two clearings at the back of his camp. A 
number came, and went through the usual demonstrations 
of surprise at seeing a white man. Among them I noticed 
some dozen fine young women, with pleasing counte- 
nances, beautifully moulded limbs, with a bunch of grass 
string tied in knots through the numerous holes in the 
outer edge of their ears. They would be fine models for 
a sculptor. I selected a man to sketch, but had much 
difficulty in making him sit still even for a minute. I 
sketched five heads, altogether, but the sun was very 
strong, and there was no shelter, so, as I found my eyes 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 8 I 

beginning to ache, I closed my book. They said I was 
casting a spell upon them by looking up so constantly 
when drawing, and that the models would die. I showed 
them a water-color sketch of an antelope, which caused 
much interest, about a hundred or a hundred and fifty of 
them crowding around me to see it; and also a water-color 
sketch of a king-hunter. This fetched them immensely, 
and they said to each other, ^' Neguenguengua " [/. ^., 
kingfisher]. They admired the snake tattooed on my arm, 
and were much interested with my hair, and the hair on 
my chest. I returned, bidding ^^Kwaheri'' to Nassibu 
and Hadi bin Nassib in passing. They gave me a big 
piece of antelope meat, dried. I had only just arrived in 
camp when rain came down in torrents, with the usual ac- 
companiment of thunder and lightning. Troup and Bonny 
are at loggerheads over something, and are enjoying an 
animated wrangle as I write (9 p. m.), out on the prome- 
nade. Muini Chandi gave me a fine piece of native cloth. 

Monday^ February 27. — Tb^ morning an Arab of Nas- 
sibu's came and visited me, and said Hadi bin Nassib, who 
sent his ^^ Salaam, salaam kwa rafiki ake," wanted a pocket- 
knife. I had to tell him that I had only one, but sent him 
a pair of trade scissors which I xould never make cut. 
This gay and festive young man chatted away for a con- 
siderable time. Full moon to-night, shining very brightly, 
quite sufficiently light to shoot game. Troup and Bonny 
maintain a frigid air of indifference. No natives about on 
the other side. 

Tuesday^ February 28. — Nassibu and Hadi bin Nassib 
came and visited me this morning, and chatted over can- 
nibals and their affairs. They told me that these friendly 
tribes who live around the Arabs' camp generally accom- 



82 MY LIFE WiTM 

pany them upon their raiding excursions, and appropriate 
all the dead and wounded, who they cut up and divide, 
drying the greater portion for future use. They said they 
had seen heaps of human flesh three feet high, cut up 
into serviceable joints. Commenced reading Stanley's 
^^ Through the Dark Continent," which Jameson lent me 
from Jephson's kit. Very much absorbed, especially 
as we shall probably follow the same line of country some 
day. 

Wednesday^ February 29. — Hard at Stanley's book. 
Selim bin Mohammed returned this afternoon from the 
Falls ; letter from Major Barttelot that Tippoo Tib has 
not yet returned, and that we shall probably find no diffi- 
culty in obtaining 500 fighting men in addition to the load- 
carriers. 

March i. — Selim came down and saw me this morning; 
said he had found a better road from Yalisula. No news, 
and he failed to bring me the things he promised; said the 
cloth was too dear, etc. . . , Still at Stanley's book ; find 
it more and more interesting as I proceed. Selim seems 
very tired after his journey ; says Tippoo Tib is bringing 
T,ooo men for us, and that there are 300 here and at the 
Lomani already. 

Friday y March 2. — To add to our present misery, we 
now find fourteen cases of small-pox among Selim's Man- 
yemas, who have just come from Kassongo. This is the 
first day of it, and God only knows how things will go if 
the epidemic spreads. Our men, more than half of whom 
are suffering from eczema and starvation, will just die off 
like sheep, and there will be little chance of our using 
Tippoo Tib's 1,000 men when they do come, for they are 
all such a casual lot that no precautions are taken to pre- 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 83 

vent the spread of the infection. Selim seems very cut up 
and sad about it. There is a storm hanging about. Still 
at H. M. S.'s "Through the Dark Continent.'' 

Saturday, March 3. — No more cases of small-pox (ndui) 
have come out. One of Selim's head Arabs, Majuta, is 
below with twenty tusks of ivory. They say they will 
bring us back the two men who deserted from Stanley 
some months ago ; they were sick and unable to travel, 
or they would have returned them before. This awful 
delay of news from Stanley bodes misfortune, and we are 
all compelled to conclude that he has met with trouble, 
and is in difficulties, if not worse. Finished the book, and 
have appreciated the wonderful work accomplished by a 
brave, determined man, especially as I have had three-and- 
a-half years' experience among the people who savagely 
fought him, and a portion of the country through which 
he so pluckily pushed his way. There is one man here, 
a Zanzibari, who was with him when he found Livingstone, 
and also when he crossed the continent. I intend to draw 
his portrait to-morrow, and take down the conversation. I 
hope to get an interesting batch of notes. 

Sunday y March 4. — Drew a curious Manyema bowl 
carved on the back of some legendary animal, half leop- 
ard and half elephant. Drew Uledi Pangana, and took 
notes of a conversation with him about his journey with 
Stanley in search of Livingstone, his death, and the carry- 
ing of the corpse to the coast ; of his journey with Stan- 
ley "Through the Dark Continent," and also his subse- 
quent experiences on the Congo when he returned with 
Stanley in the first days of the founding of the State. Also 
his journeys to Uganda ; his journeys to Tanganyika, and 
also his trip with Captain Carter elephant-catching. This 



84 MY LIFE WITH 

old chap has traveled in Africa as much, if not more^ 
than any other man that I, at least, have ever heard of. 
Rained in the night. An Arab got into the fort last 
night. 

Monday^ March 5. — Nasaro bin Sef, with a large num- 
ber of slaves roped together, and some five or six hundred 
pounds' worth of ivory, came down from Abdallah's fur- 
ther camp, seventeen days up this river. He brought back 
a Remington rifle which was found by his men in a native 
house when raiding a village ; it must have belonged to a 
deserter from Stanley, who was caught and eaten by the 
natives, who confess having captured and eaten five of seven 
who were trying to get down the river in canoes. The two 
that escaped were taken by Nasaro and kept, because of 
their ulcerated legs ; they were not fit to travel. They 
say that they were wnth Stanley going up river for five 
months, and that they then came to very large rocks in 
the river, and the villages, which had hitherto been com- 
paratively small, were there very large, even more popu- 
lous than Basoko ; that Stanley met some Arabs there 
who had come from southeast direction to raid for ivory ; 
that from there H. M. S. took his boat to pieces and 
struck in from the river. It took them about one month 
to return from there to Abdallah's further cam.p. This; 
curiously enough, tallies fairly well with the statements 
made by the other deserters. Stanley had had lots of 
fights, but no white men had been killed. 

Tuesday^ March 6. — Broiling hot day. 7 a. m. — There 
is a great demonstration taking place in Selim bin Mo- 
hammed's camp. The band, comprising three drummers 
and four women with rattles, ornamented with beads and 
elephant-tail hairs, are sitting upon the eighteen tusks of 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 85 

ivory that came in yesterday, and are chanting their Man- 
yema war-songs. This morning Selim's men, to the num- 
ber of eighty or so, are going to attack a big village down 
the river, to raid it and capture slaves, which in due course 
of time will be resold for ivory. All the warriors with 
tufts of feathers on their heads, streaks of white chalk 
smeared on their faces and bodies, are receiving caps and 
powder for the coming fray. Great excitement prevails, 
and many are the superstitious words addressed to the 
locks of their '' Tower " cap guns. Charms are being ad- 
justed under the arm, the ammunition belt is hauled tight, 
and the warriors hurry to and fro boasting of the brave 
deeds they will perform in the coming struggle with the 
unsuspecting savages, who, however, may turn the tables 
on a few of them. No mercy or quarter is to be expected 
on either side, for the savages are goaded to fury by the 
sense of injustice, and the Manyemasare rendered relent- 
less by the recollection of many murders committed by 
the natives upon their people at different times, and the 
knowledge that they, the unfortunates, were eaten by the 
very people they are about to massacre. The Manyemas 
themselves are cannibals in their own country, but out 
here, under the Arabs, they affect horror at the eating of 
human flesh. The Arabs have told me that they punish 
such an offence by sumxmary death, and let the natives 
have the corpse. 

10 A. M. — I have just been down seeing the Arabs' men 
start in four large canoes for the scene of battle. It was 
rather a picturesque scene. Some of these wild-looking 
Manyemas had a piece of white cloth fancifully arranged 
on their heads, and various hues of brown and yellow na- 
tive-made grass-cloth around their loins and tied at the 



86 MY LIFE WITH 

back of the neck. Most of them, however, were nearly 
naked. They had about twenty Arab ftags — /. e.^ red flag 
with a white strip near the staff — and as the canoes drifted 
down-stream the sonorous wooden drum was rattled, and 
the deep voices of the men chanted a kind of pathetic 
strain. They were chattering and boasting just before 
leaving about the amount of charge they had in their guns. 
Some by the ramrod measured two hands broad of powder 
and slugs, and there was a smile of satisfaction on their 
faces as they returned the ramrods into their sockets. 
Fortunate that those old-time muskets were made of such 
sterling stuff. 

Many of these warriors, who have not yet attained to the 
dignity of a gun, are armed with bows and arrows, which 
are poisoned in the putrid carcass of some poor native. I 
am told that the natives eat every portion of the human 
body. Manyemas went on a raiding expedition, about 
twenty up river and eighty down the river in four big 
canoes. They will be away about five days. Sent my 
only pair of shoes to Stanley Falls to be sewed up. Am 
in a ragged condition. This eternal rice fare with occa- 
sional bits of dried goat meat is absolutely sickening, and 
the little tea we have is like dried grass, and only runs to 
about one-fifth of an ounce a day. This is all we have to 
drink; the water is fatal, and is what gave me my dysen- 
tery. 

Wednesday^ March 7. — Very hot day; Nasaro bin Sayf 
and Selim came down to see my drawings, and I gave him 
a pair of old top-boots that I could no longer wear. Nasaro 
leaves to-morrow morning for Stanley Falls. 9 p. m. — A 
most extraordinary thing in lightning is taking place on 
the northern side of the river. Flash follows flash behind 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 87 

big heavy clouds, which are fringed with purple and a 
w^arm gray, and so perpetual are the lurid lights that they 
appear to be the bursts of flame from a volcanic range 
which is high up, many thousand feet, wdth the clouds in 
masses all around it. It is lightening all around, more or 
less, and the thunder rumbles ominously, giving us v/arning 
that before morning we shall probably be deluged with 
tropical rain. Another man dead — a Soudanese (6 1 graves). 

Thursday^ March 8. — Very hot and sultry until about 
3 p. M., and then we had a heavy thunder-storm, which 
lasted until the evening. Selim came down and chatted 
with me about different things all the morning. He told 
me that if a white man came to Stanley Falls to buy ivory, 
he must pay in cash, and he would get tons. 

Saturday^ March 10. — Selim spent the morning with 
me, and gave me much information about the European 
nick-nacks that Arabs are most fond of, and also about the 
price that ivory fetches. Our cook has a cap made from 
the uppers of two Belgian spring-side boots. The Zanzi- 
baris that were sent up to Barttelot at the Falls on Febru- 
ary 26, returned. Jameson has probably gone to Kassongo, 
and I may have to go to the Falls. He- states that there 
has been an earthquake up there. Selim's men are giving 
the natives fits to-day. 

Sunday^ March 11. — Selim visited me this morning. 
His men who went up river returned to-day; they had shot 
three natives. The fellows who went down stream have 
not yet come back, but they have taken some canoes and 
slaves, and driven a number of natives back to their old 
village opposite. Selim was shooting at them to-day with 
his Martini (the one poor Dubois had when he w^as 
drowned) from the bank, but did no fatal injury. The 



88 MY LIFE WITH 

sentinel knocked Fanymiba, Shamba's master, into the 
trench with his rifle, and I had to pay one axe to square 
the business. I am now able to converse quite fluently in 
Kiswahili; spend two or three hours a day at it. Mnini 
Chandi came in to-day looking very serious. 

" How many Zanzibaris are dead ? " he queried. 

^^ Fifty-six," I replied. 

^* Why, master, in eighteen moons more we shall all die 
in this bad place.'' 

Monday y March 12. — Rained very heavily all the morn- 
ing, and in the afternoon the Arabs fired upon twelve na- 
tives in a canoe, whom they persuaded to approach near 
this side. The poor devils jumped into the water just 
above some bad rapids, and one fellow very pluckily swam 
back in the face of the fire, caught the drifting canoe, and, 
sheltered himself behind it, succeeded in pushing it along 
until they all got in and paddled away for dear life, the 
slugs whizzing all around them. Some of Selim's men, 
who were of the party who went down stream some days 
ago, returned this evening, and stated that they had killed 
and decapitated six men, and caught two, one of them be- 
ing poor unfortunate N'Gunga. They will be in to-morrow 
morning with the captives, and two large canoes. 

Tuesday y March 13. — Feruzi, one of our sick men, 
came in panting and looking very scared. I asked him 
what was the matter, and he said he had seen a lot of 
Selim's Manyemas eating and cooking the flesh of the 
natives they had just killed, and that when they saw him 
they had chased him with their guns. Selim tells me 
that his men have heard from the natives lower down the 
river that there are white men in a steamer fighting the 
villagers of Basoko, at the mouth of this river. 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 89 

Wednesday^ March 14. — Was at work all day drawing 
native pots, pestle and mortar, &c. Poor N'Gunga 
came and visited me ; he looks very thin, poor chap ! 
They commenced selling fish to-day. 

Thursday^ March 15. — Some Manyem^as tried to force 
an entry into the fort to-day, and pushed the Soudanese 
sentry away, throwing his rifle down. Lots of palaver, 
but things were satisfactorily arranged at last. New moon. 
Selim chatted nearly all the morning wnth me. Drew two 
native chairs. Very hot. 

Friday^ March 16. — Another man dead (sixty-five 
graves). At work all day drawing native stools ; very 
heavy storm during all the afternoon and evening. Selim 
came down and chatted with me. 

Saturday^ March 17 — Busy drawing pottery, &c. Selim 
came down and chatted both in the morning and evening. 
When I chaffed him about Tippoo Tib's greatness, and 
our waiting nine months for the 700 men, Selim assured 
me that they would come in time. When I remarked that 
I did not think the Manyemas were able to carry our 
loads, he replied that they do not carry their loads on 
their heads, they sling them on their backs, and that the 
women would probably carry most of the loads, while the 
men would "play the soldier" with their guns. 

Sunday y March 18. — Very hot day. Drawing native 
utensils, &c. Selim and old N'Gunga came down and 
chatted during the morning. 

Tuesday^ March 20. — Selim spent the whole morning 
with me, and was teaching me the Arabic characters. An 
Arab came in from down river, and said Hadi bin Nassib 
had gone over to the place where the natives said they 
had seen a white man in a steamer some time ago. I can't 



go MV LIFE WITH 

help fancying that they must have gone up the Mobangi, 
as a shield that was lent me to draw that came from there 
was identical with those that I have seen down by the 
mouth of the Mobangi, and about Bangala. Some of 
Selim's men came back from a raid down river, and told 
me they had killed ^^^ natives and got two tusks of ivory, 
one of which was broken off short. Drew two or three 
native utensils. Nassibu has not yet returned, and I can- 
not therefore make up my Kibabuta vocabulary. No 
news from the Falls or of Stanley. 

Wednesday^ March 21. — His name was Maripiku wadi 
Boheti. I drew the portrait of this poor chap last month. 
Selim has received news from the Falls that there are a great 
number of Manyemas on their way there from Kassongo, 
but that Tippoo Tib is not with them. Jameson has not 
yet gone to Kassongo ; awaiting the arrival of the men 
with news. Some of Selim's men down river, at a place 
called Tichua, have met with reverses, but as yet nothing 
definite is known. 

Thursday^ Mai^ch 22. — Very hot day, and the meat of a 
goat we killed the previous evening has gone bad. Work- 
ing at Kingwana and the Arabic characters. 

March 23. — Nassibu came this afternoon, but I was 
asleep. He had been very ill with dysentery. Selim 
spent the morning with me chattering about different 
matters. I am making quite rapid strides in the King- 
wana language. 

March 24. — Dull and raining. Major B. has returned 
from the Falls. Jameson has gone to Kassongo, and I am 
to start in five days to go down to the coast and cable 
home to the Committee : 

^ * No news of Stanley since writing last October. Tippoo 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 



91 



Tib went Kassongo November sixteenth, but up to March 
has only got us two hundred and fifty men ; more are 
coming, but in uncertain numbers and at uncertain times. 
Presuming Stanley in trouble, absurd for me to start with 
less numbers than he did, I carrying more loads, and minus 
* Maxim ' gun ; therefore have sent Jameson Kassongo to 
hasten Tippoo in regard to remainder of originally prom- 
ised six hundred men, and to obtain from him as many 
fighting men as possible up to four hundred ; to make 
most advantageous terms he can, as regards service and 
payment of men, he and I guaranteeing money in name 
of expedition. Jameson will return about May fourteenth, 
but earliest date to start will be June first. When I start, 
propose leaving officer with all loads not absolutely wanted 
at Stanley Falls. Ward carries this message. Please 
obtain wire from King Belgians to Administrator ' Free 
State,' to place carriers at his disposal, and have steamer 
in readiness to convey him Yambuya. If men come be- 
fore his arrival, start without him. He should return 
about July first. Wire advice and opinion. Officers all 
well. Ward awaits reply. 

^^Barttelot. 
** William Mackinnon (Gray, Dawes, & Co.), 
** 14 Austin Friars, London." 

Both Jameson and Barttelot have been very sick at the 
Falls, and indeed Barttelot looks most awfully ill, and a 
bad gray color. There is no doubt the Arabs are playing 
a double game, and there is no means of finding out any- 
thing from them. I expect to have a pretty hard job to 
pass some of those populous places, like Monungeri, 
Upoto, Mobeka, etc., but we shall have to make them 
smell powder, or else be cooked and eaten. This is all 



92 MY LIFE WITH 

very startling news; and I do not know whether it is a 
step in the right direction or not. 

Sunday^ March 25. — Busy all day talking over the 
plans, etc., concerning my journey down to the coast. I 
now act as interpreter; arranged with Selim bin Moham- 
med and Seid about canoes and the purchase of paddles. 
I am to start in four days from here, to embark at Yan- 
gambi, below Yalisula. Major B. had a bad fever and 
ague fit, and looks awfully bad; poor fellow, I feel quite 
sorry for him. 

Monday, Afarch 26. — Busy all day copying letters, etc. 
According to my letter of instructions, I am to start from 
here on Wednesday morning. Selim bin Mohammed and 
Seid were down in the morning. Picked my men, and 
elected Muini Hamici, alias Uledi Pangani, as the chief. 
Troup will accompany me to see me off, and he will then 
proceed to the Lomami River on the south bank of the 
Congo to purchase goats. 

Tuesday^ March 27. — Very busy packing. I start to- 
morrow morning, Selim gave me three magnificent ivory 
war-horns, and a curious knife. Headache from unusual 
excitement. Poor Barttelot is almost beside himself with 
his fever, weakness, and the preparation of letters for me. 
Barttelot, Troup, and Bonny all seem anxious about my 
safety. 

Received my ** marching orders," as follows: — 

Copy of iiistructions to Mr. Ward on proceeding to Banana 
Pointy for purpose of se7iding telegram to Committee. 

You will leave this camp, Yambuya, March 20, with 
thirty Zanzibaris and five Soudanese, and march to 
Njambi on the Congo. There you should find two canoes 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 93 

ready for you; lash these two together, embark your men 
and provisions, and start without delay down river to Ban- 
gala. 

At Bangala hand my letters to the chief of the station. 
Disarm the Zanzibaris, and hand their arms over to the 
chief of the station, making arrangements for the im- 
mediate return here of Zanzibaris and Soudanese. Should 
this not be possible, they must remain at Bangala till your 
return, receiving, the Soudanese officer two metako per 
day, and the rest half a metako. On return, arms to be 
handed back to Zanzibaris. 

You yourself, with the aid of the chief of Bangala 
Station, will obtain Bangalas and canoe to transport you 
to Leopoldville. Arriving there, you will hand my letter 
to chief of station, who will supply you with carriers, and 
you will proceed at once to Matadee, and there embark 
for Banana Point. At Boma you will put up at the Eng- 
lish House, and give my letter to the Governor-General of 
the Free State. On arrival at Banana you will ascertain 
which is the nearest, St. Thome or St. Paul de Loanda to 
send a cable home from, and to the nearest of these two 
you will proceed and send the telegram handed to you at 
Yambuya to Mr, William Mackinnon. You will await 
reply, on receiving which you will proceed back with all 
despatch to Leopoldville. From reaching Boma on your 
downward journey, to returning to that place on your re- 
turn journey you will receive 255-. per diem. You will 
give my letter to Mons. Fontaine at Banana who will find 
you sufficient moneys for the telegram and all other ex- 
penses. 

You must remember despatch is to be used. 

On arrival at Leopoldville on your return, you will pro- 



94 MY LIFE WITH 

ceed up river with all despatch, bringing Tippoo Tib's loads 
with you to Ngambi on the Congo. There you will learn 
if I have started for the lakes or not. Should I have 
started, you will proceed to the Falls, where you will find 
a letter of instructions awaiting you. If I have not 
started, send a messenger to me here, and await my ar- 
rival at Ngambi with the steamer. An accurate account 
of your expenditure must be kept, one copy of which 
must be sent to Mr. William Mackinnon (Gray, Dawes 
& Co.), 14 Austin Friars, E. C, and one for myself. You 
will purchase while at Banana, on behalf of the Expedition 
two cases of champagne, and four cases of tin meat, each 
case to contain fifteen tins of 2 lbs. weight, and thirty 
matchettes. 

Edmund M. Barttelot, Major ^ 

Commanding Yambuya Camp, 
March 27, 1888. 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 95 



CHAPTER XII. 

Wednesday^ March 28. — Sent my men off at 6 A. m., 
but Troup and I were prevented from starting for three 
hours after on account of very heavy thunder-storm. We 
had an awful day's work in the forest, as it rained more 
or less all day, and my men staggered about, and were 
quite unable to get along. Poor fellows, they seem to 
have no spirit left, and are in a very emaciated condition. 
We camped in the swampy forest. Ali bin Mohammed 
said he could not walk. 

Thursday^ March 29. — Under way again; more rain; 
forest dense and swamps up to one's waist in many places. 
Arrived in the further village of Yaweko at sundown. 
Had to distribute ammunition, and repack some to lighten 
the loads. 

Friday^ March 30. — Away at sunrise, and struck the 
new road to Yangambi. Had a very long march to-day; 
quite twenty-five miles through dense, dark forest; most 
tiring and trying to the eyes. Troup and I, with only one 
man, arrived in Yangambi at dark. My blankets came in 
at midnight. Ate raw corn, and drank malafu. 

Saturday^ March 31. — Remainder of men came in. 
Seid had come down river with my other canoe and pad- 
dles, so could not start. Fixed my big canoe, flooring, 
roof, &c. From all I hear I shall have to fight my way 
down river, because large numbers of Arabs had been 
driven back. Rachid said I should encounter much peril. 
I drew him and one of his wives, and worked during the 



96 MY LIFE WITH 

afternoon at lashing the two canoes together. Heavy 
storm in evening. 

Got the following letter from Barttelot: 

'' Yambuya Camp, March 30, 1888. 
^* Ward — I am sending this to warn you to be very careful 
in the manner you behave below. I mean as regards 
pecuniary matters. I shall require at your hands a re- 
ceipted bill for everything you spend, and should you be 
unable to purchase the champagne and the watch, you will 
not draw that 20/. The slightest attempt at any nonsense, 
I shall be down upon you for. I have given you a posi- 
tion of trust to see that you do not abuse. You will send 
me a receipt of this letter. 

(Signed) ^' Edmund M. Barttelot, Major'' 
Have replied: consider letter gross insult, and will de- 
mand explanation and satisfaction on my return. 

Tuesday^ April 3. — -Had a good breakfast with Rachid; 
pleasant chat with his wife, Yohurr, and started, the cen- 
tre of attraction and curiosity with the large assembly of 
natives and Arabs. We went along better than I had ex- 
pected, and by about 5 p. M. were in sight of the islands 
opposite the mouth of the Aruwimi River. Drums struck 
up on both sides of the river, and as it grew dark we could 
distinguish large canoes following us at some distance. 
At about II p. M. wx saw a string of canoes drawn up 
across the river, and we were all prepared for war, but as 
we approached they cleared out, and only yelled at us from 
a neighboring island. We sighted a large dark mass in 
the middle of the river about midnight, and made for it, 
but, fortunately for us, we just had time to sheer off 
and swept by a large fallen tree. In the early hours of 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, ^7 

the morning the war-horns, combined with the big drums 
and the people's yells, kept us all on the alert. None of 
us had any sleep last night. 

Wednesday^ April 4. — Many natives, at different times, 
followed down for a long distance, but kept well out of 
range. Horns and drums continue. Heavy storm came 
on at about 9 a. m. and lasted until 3 p. m. The Congo is 
very high. At 5 p. m. we sighted a very large village on 
left bank, and the natives were very wild. They manned 
their big canoes, and their drums and horns echoed for 
miles. They followed us down for three miles to another 
large village, yelling and shouting. We counted six large 
canoes with about thirty men in each, and their arms 
glistened in the sun, but they kept out of range, and we 
sheered off behind an island just at the height of their ex- 
citement. The night was cloudy, and we kept in mid- 
stream, and only heard the drum and horn alarms. I got 
a little sleep towards morning, as we passed down a long 
reach of swampy forest. Saw no canoes all night. 

Thursday^ April 5. — Beautiful sunrise. Came on three 
abandoned canoes drifting down stream; their crews were 
scared and had taken to the bush. About 10 a. m. we 
sighted a large village on right bank, and some fishermen 
answered our calls of peace in Kibangi. They said they 
belonged to the big village Morimja. They were not so 
afraid, but we could not get them nearer than 200 yards. 
At midday we met some more fishing canoes, and another 
large village on right bank. Some well-manned canoes 
came out, but kept a respectful distance, and danced and 
threw up water at us in derision. They would not tell us 
their tribe or the name of their village. Later on in the 
afternoon we paddled down close to a large village on right 



98 . MY LIPE WITIT 

bank, which they call ^^Dobbo." But the people were 
adverse to our landing. We, however, went alongside the 
perpendicular bank, and hung on to some of their canoes. 
They soon came in crowds on the bank and all around us 
on the riverside in their canoes, and sold us kwanga, fowls, 
bad eggs, sugar-cane, small goats, etc. After twenty 
minutes the crowd was so dense (there were about 500), 
and so high was the excitement and avarice, that I con- 
sidered it best to clear out before we came to blows. We 
parted friends. An hour later we put in to shore for fire- 
wood. We must be getting near to Upoto; by the course 
of the river it was northwest and we are now almost due 
west. I am afraid we shall have trouble with Upoto. 
They gave Von Kerckhoven a good battle, and killed 
several of his Zanzibaris, and he was in a steamer which 
had been padded, and had many men. The Upoto people 
have many guns, and it was these populous tribes that 
caught the Houssas last year, who deserted Deane. The 
natives had passed all the other bad places successfully. 
They ate five and sold four back to the State. When we 
passed up last July we could not make friends with Upoto. 
I am rather in hopes of getting past to-night. About 8 
p. M. we took what appeared to be a clear reach, but the 
night was so cloudy and dark that we had gone down quite 
two miles in a narrow, reedy, sand shoal, and we were all 
hard at work until past midnight before we could get back. 
All the men were in the water. The Soudanese, singing 
and pushing, behaved awfully well, and did more than all 
the Zanzibaris together. The remainder of the night was 
uneventful, and I got a little sleep. 

Friday y April 6. — At early dawn we sighted the Upoto 
Hills; put in to get more firewood, as we had to abandon 



STAN-LEY'S REAR GUARD., ^Q 

our stock last night in the swamp. Natives skurrying 
about in the distance in their canoes. We kept the south 
bank. At about i p. m. we responded to the earnest invi- 
tations of the natives, whose village on the south bank is 
nearly opposite Upoto. These people were very friendly 
and sold all manner of food to my men — fish, fowl, plantain, 
kwanga, &c. Of course they were very noisy and excited at 
seeing such a rum-looking craft as ours for the first time, 
but all went well, and after about one hour's roaring, bar- 
tering and gesticulating, we went on our way. I hope to 
get into Bangala to-morrow night. What with the whiffs 
of smoke, dried fish, high meat, sour manioc, and other 
eatables which the men have invested in, I cannot enjoy 
much fresh air, so I smoke my pipe. Very hot day; don't 
think Jameson's thermometer could register the heat here 
without an accident. Went bowling along during the re- 
mainder of the day. Saw no natives, and passed down 
some very narrow reaches among some ugly snags. Kept 
the north bank. The night was uneventful; rained in 
early morning. 

Saturday, April 7. — Still keeping the north bank ; nar- 
row channels among low swampy islands. Another very 
hot day. Nothing occurred until about 3 p. m., when we 
met four natives in two canoes, who told us that we could 
not get to Bangala until to-morrow morning; but they did 
not reckon on our going night and day. They were very 
friendly, and accepted my little present of kowries with 
evident satisfaction. They had the Upoto tribal tattoo 
marks on their faces, and said their village was Nduboa. 
I was able to chat with them, to my surprise, for I thought 
I had quite forgotten my Kibangi. Low islands with 
dense jungles and forest continue, and they seem quite 



lOO My LIFE WITH 

submerged in these parts. In the night, about lo p.m., 
we got into a narrow channel, and, like cannons, several 
hippopotami rushed for the water from the narrow reedy 
banks. Some were almost on to us, whilst the water 
surged and turned us about until I was almost afraid one 
of the monsters would take it into his head to give us a 
knock, which, it is needless to state, would have been the 
end of our canoe journey. About midnight we passed 
some villages on the north bank. At one their drums beat, 
and a very gruff voice challenged us. ^^ We are friends, 
children of Stanley, going to Bangaia; we are peaceable:" 
but the gruff voice replied, that ^^ If we were what we said, 
why did we travel in the dark ? We lied, and they would 
come to us presently and fight, for we were like thieves." 
We laughed at them, and went on, but the night was so in- 
tensely dark that we hauled alongside the bank until day- 
break. 

Sundayy April Z, — At very earliest streak of dawn we 
were off again, and passed many villages on the north bank 
that are new to me since my time at Bangaia in 1886. I 
feel convinced of the advantage the natives in this district 
have derived from intercourse with civilization in the shape 
of the station, and their emigrations to Boma as police. I 
do not hesitate to say that I think the Bangalas are the 
coming people in the Congo State Territory. They have 
become useful, pleasant people in about two years. It 
seems like coming amongst old friends again as we draw 
nearer Bangaia. We have made the journey much quicker 
than anyone would have thought possible. 10 a. m. — The 
natives of the villages we are passing are all very anxious 
to sell us food; they invite us to their villages to drink 
*^ massanga " with their chiefs, and are full of merriment 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. lOl 

and chaff. They are much surprised at our big canoes, 
and that we have come all the way from Stanley Falls. 
They think there has been another fight with the Arabs, 
and that we are fugitives. Abu Bak, the Soudanese officer, 
has been very ill with dysentery ever since we left Yan- 
gambi, and to-day he is worse — thin, and unable to stand. 
It is very pleasant to see what attention is paid him by my 
four soldiers; they are four of the biggest ruffians of the 
crowd picked on account of their pluck — and they are as 
tender to poor old Abu Bak as any white woman nurse 
could be. We got into Bangala at about 8.30 p. m., and 
the whole station turned out in great alarm, thinking we 
were the Arabs. I was well received, had some wine 
and food, and then arranged to start first thing in the 
morning to try to catch the ^* Stanley," which had only 
left that same morning. I slept on board the A. I. A. so 
as to be all ready for an early start, and Werner, the Eng- 
lish engineer (the only Englishman left in the State), came 
down and told me what had happened in these parts dur- 
ing my year's absence up the Aruwimi River. The list of 
deaths was appalling, and among them. Comber Reichhin, 
Mrs. Harvey, Rothkirch, were, I may say, particular 
friends of mine, whilst there were numerous others. We 
sat up nearly the whole night talking. 

Monday^ April 9. — I shifted my traps in a small canoe, 
delivered my thirty Zanzibaris, five Soudanese, their rifles 
and ammunition, over to Van Kerckhoven, who will take 
them back to Yambuya in the A. I. A., and started with 
twenty-five brave Bangala niggers. We just flew along 
during the whole day and night; a heavy storm came on 
about midnight, and nearly swamped us; the canoe wa^ 
3mall, and I had no covering. 



I02 MY LIFE WITH 

Tuesday^ April lo. — Another heavy storm of rain, &c. 
At midday I got into the Equator Station, where, to my 
great delight, was the "• Stanley," getting up steam to start. 
I was again awfully well received; saw Monsieur Boulanger, 
and the missionaries, Murphy, and Mr. and Mrs. Banks. 
We started at 2.30 p. m., and camped on the south bank. 
The Belgians are astonished to hear that the Arabs are 
friendly. It appears that Van der Welde and Stillmann 
were to have gone to the Falls, but Van der Welde died at 
Leo, and Stillmann got very ill and had to return to Eu- 
rope. The captain's servant is a boy from a village named 
Ndembo, near Lukungu, and he entertained me until late 
with local news of my old native friends. He says that I 
am reported dead down at Lukungu. 

Wednesday y April iio — Away at daylight. Traveling 
on board this steamer is a very great improvement upon 
the canoe business. All the fellows are very interested 
with my stories about the Arabs and their doings. My 
sketches were much appreciated. We got into Lukolela 
7 p. M., after a very heavy tornado, which forced us to 
anchor for a couple of hours. Richards and Darby, of the 
Be M. S., are here and are well. 

Thursday^ April 12. — We left Lukolela at 6 a. m. this 
morning. I exchanged some curiosities with Monsieur 
Baert. He also made me a present of a small box of 
colors. Camped for wood on south bank, 5 p. m. 

Friday^ April 13. — Away at 5.30 a. m. Heard from 
Monsieur Baert that Captain Bore had shot himself at 
Verona. What a fatal country this is ! Obtained by ex- 
changes a very beautiful equator shield, and two assegais 
from the little Dutch engineer. The captain, a Swede, 
named Schagestrom, is a really fine fellow. I consider him 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 103 

to be one of the best men the State ever had: a six-foot, 
broad-built fellow, simple and frank, with much hard work 
about him. He devotes himself thoroughly to his duty. 
Stanley much admired him. What fatality there seems to 
be connected with all the Europeans who have had to go 
to the Falls ! First, Benny shot himself; second, a Belgian 
officer died on his way up; third, Webster, who went home 
very ill; fourth, Deane, who underwent awful" perils; fifth, 
Dubois, who was drowned; sixth, Van der Welde, who died 
the other day at Leopoldville, en route to the Falls; seventh, 
his companion, Stillmann, who got sick, and had to clear 
off home to save his life; and eighth, Amelot, who died 
on his way in Zanzibar. 

Saturday^ April 14. — At 8 A, m. this morning we saw an 
encampment opposite Kwa mouth, and the smoke from a 
gun in the forest. It was old Deane, and he came out in his 
canoe, and chatted for about ten minutes. He had just 
knocked over an elephant. He was looking well, though 
very thm, and was dressed in an old pair of blue trousers, 
cloth shirt and cap, and his beard was long and ragged. 
He seemed very pleased to see me, and at first, before he 
understood that I was going to the coast to send this cable 
and return, he said: ^^If you are going down, why not 
come and stay with me here ? I am all alone, and we are 
old friends.'' He was surprised at my getting down in 
canoes without fighting, and complimented me upon it. 
Poor old Deane ! I am very fond of him. During a 
conversation with a Belgian officer. Monsieur Baert, upon 
the Arab situation up in the country round about the 
Falls, he said: ^^ Among us [Belgian officers in the Congo 
State and in Brussels] it was pronounced very short- 
sighted policy on Stanley's part, appointing Tippoo Tib 



I04 MY LIFE WITH 

to be the Chief of the Falls.'' ^^But stay/' said I; 
" Stanley only suggested such an action, for, before fi- 
nally settling anything at Zanzibar, the agreement, &c., 
was sent home to His Majesty, the King of the Belgians, 
to be ratified and sanctioned; therefore Stanley cannot 
be in any way blamed." "No, but if he is not legally 
accountable, he is at least morally responsible. It was 
Stanley who brought the Arabs to the Falls eleven years 
ago, and he is really the cause of their being where 
they are to-day ! " I stated that I thought if the State 
officers, who are going up to the Falls, only temporize 
and are politic, there will be no trouble. I know the 
Arabs are very eager to get traders up from the West, 
and they would very soon conform to the State regu- 
lations, as far as confining their raiding within certain 
limits is concerned. At present it costs twelve pounds 
sterling to get one load up from the east coast, putting 
aside the long time it takes en route^ the heavy dues to 
the kings of the intervening country through which it 
passes, and the taxes due to the Sultan at Zanzibar. 
These, I urged, are sufficient reasons alone to induce the 
Arabs to conform to State rule. Monsieur Baert replied 
that what I had said might be very true, but that dur- 
ing the next few years, after the Khartoum Arabs had 
met and co-mingled with Tippoo Tib, as they assuredly 
would after Stanley's opening up this Aruwimi route, 
there would be trouble. He said that if Tippoo Tib had 
been appointed Chief of the Falls in the first instance, 
all would have been well, but now after the loss of the 
station the appointment was very serious. Better it 
would have been if the station had been forcibly retaken, 
and then Tippoo Tib to have received his post. "And," 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. I05 

inquired I, " what are your propositions now for confin- 
ing the Arabs to the south of the Falls?" <^Well," he 
continued, "we Belgian officers out here think that a 
station or a line of stations should be made across the 
country at Basoko, fully fortified and armed; that all 
the natives should be armed with cap-guns to the extent 
of several thousand, and that they should be led on to 
fight for themselves against the Arabs.'* ^^ That's very 
good," said I; ^^but .supposing you wanted to disarm the 
natives afterward, their strength would be very great, 
and they would probably turn out to be as bad as the 
Arabs." "Oh, that is a very simple matter," was the 
quick retort. "First, stop giving them caps; or, second, 
give them dynamite in place of powder, and they would 
all blow themselves to bits." I am quite confident that 
the Belgians will have much trouble before settling the 
slave-raiding business. They do not know the country, 
and they are not strong enough, and never will be, in my 
opinion, to cope with the Arabs. These Arabs in a few 
weeks could concentrate several thousand experienced and 
armed fighters, who know the country like a book, and 
would have the additional zest given them for fighting, by 
the fact that they are the attacked party, and if defeated 
several years of their labor would be lost, and their chances 
of gaining wealth be wrested from them. Of course, if shut 
off at Zanzibar, they would have no outlet. 

Sunday^ April 15. — We camped yesterday very early 
(11.30 A. M.), only three hours this side of Kwa mouth in 
fact, in order to cut sufficient wood to take us into the 
Pool. Away this morning at 5.30 a. m. Arrived in 
Leopoldville at 4.30 p. m., staying at Kinchassa for twenty 
minutes en route, Lieut. Liebrichts was very polite and 



I06 MV LIFE WITH 

obliging; he said I could have as many men as I wanted, 
and start down country the following morning. I found 
letters from Europe awaiting me. I got a donkey and 
rode over to Kinchassa in the dark to see Glave, who was 
starting up river the following morning in his new little 
stern-wheeler, the " New York,'* commonly called the 
"Pup." I sat up the whole night with him talking. 

Monday y April i6. — At daybreak I had a wash-up and 
dropped into Greshoff's place, and had a cup of cocoa and 
a chat for a few minutes. I called in to GrenfelFs (the 
Baptist Missionary Society) and found him at breakfast. 
Ate a little civilized provision. Dr. Sims and Mrs. Gren- 
fell were among the company. Major Parminter came in, 
and,he. Dr. Sims, and myself went down to Leo in a ca- 
noe. I then got my old native friends together; they 
seemed really very well pleased to see ** Mayala Mbem- 
ba *' (Eagle Wings — my native name) back again, and 
asked me any number of questions about the far interior. 
I arranged my loads, and got away from Leo station amid 
the gushing adieus of about twenty-five Belgians, who look- 
ed upon me as a sort of curiosity, having descended the riv- 
er in a canoe, while they had been nine months deliberating 
before venturing up in the SS. *^ Stanley.' I called in at 
the station of the B. M. U., and again hit off the meal- 
time. I overtook a Dutchman on the road who had 
started that morning at 7 a. m. We slept at N'Gomas- 
town, and had three hours'* tramp in a heavy thunder- 
storm. It was blinding and cold as ice, while just pre- 
vious to the downfall it was suffocating. 

Tuesday y April i"], — We got away a little after daybreak. 
At 3 p. M. I swam in the Cataract River, and at 4 p. m. 
there came one of the severest storrns I ever remember; 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, lOJ 

the rain-drops were like hailstones, and they cut like 
knives; the grass, which was about six to nine feet high, 
was blown fiat across the path, along which the water 
streamed knee deep, rendering it impossible to follow it; 
cold as ice again, and so dark that ten yards was all we 
could see around. The thunder was fearful, and two or 
three flashes nearly made me fall, they were so vivid and 
electrifying. At 7 p. m. we found the little village of 
Kintompi, and I went into a hut where a fire was cheer- 
fully burning. I found there was only myself and boy to 
take shelter, and we had no dry clothes or blankets. The 
carriers had taken refuge behind trees. I had to pass the 
night sitting over the fire. At midnight I had a vomiting 
fit, and a heavy thunder-storm lasted until daybreak. I 
felt very sick and did not sleep at all. 

Wednesday, April 18. — I felt unwell this morning. My 
feet are sore and skinned with the unusual exercise, and 
my boots are fastened together with bits of twine. But I 
don't care one straw about these little inconveniences, I 
mean to get down to the coast this month. I arrived at 
the Nzadi Nkissi at about 2 p. m., but the canoes were on 
the opposite bank, and w(juld not come over for us, as the 
rains, which have been exceptionally heavy this season, 
had swelled the river to such an extent that it has become 
a veritable torrent. I had to wait until 5 p. m. before I 
could bribe them to cross (I promised to pay fifty brass 
rods). We had to make two journeys, and it was very 
ticklish w^ork. I had my boots off ready for an emergen- 
cy. By the time we reached the top of the hill the rain 
came down in torrents, and it thundered until the earth 
shook. It being sundown I decided to stay, and will make 
an early start to catch Lutete to-morrow night. These 



I08 MY LIFE WITH 

last two days I have done forty-nine miles by the mission^ 
ary reckoning; my feet are inflamed and sore. Plenty of 
old friends in this village, and they crowded around me to 
hear of the men-eating natives and the Arabs away up at 
the Falls. I had forgotten a lot of this Kikongo language 
during my year's absence, but now by continually talking 
to my carriers I can rattle away as well as ever. 

Thursday^ April 19. — Away early — before daylight in 
fact, and, after a really hard day's work, with two big riv- 
ers to cross, not counting the smaller streams which were 
very much swollen, I got into Lutete, the station of 
the Baptist Mission Society, where I found Mr. and 
Mrs. Holman Bentley. I was very tired and footsore, 
having had a long march (twenty-seven miles), with wet 
boots, etc. I received much kindness from my old friends 
here. 

Friday^ April 20. — Away about 8 a. m. — stiff. Another 
good long day (twenty-five miles), and I reached Manyan- 
ga at sundown, and put up for the night with young Par- 
minter, who is residing here and carrying on the transport 
for the Sanford Expedition. I could not sleep, and had 
no appetite, the exercise having been too much, I suppose. 
Not that the distance was anything extraordinary, but the 
hills, frequent storms, long grass (frequently 15 to 20 feet 
high), slippery paths, and swollen torrents, with glassy, 
slippery, rocky bottoms, and the intense heat of the sun, 
which at intervals blazes out with terrible fierceness, com- 
pletely handicapped me. 

Saturday^ April 21. — Away again, early, and lunched 
with a Dutchman at Ndunga, reaching Lukunga Station in 
the afternoon in the heavy storm. 

Sunday^ April 22. — Got twelve Manyanga boys from 



^TANLkY'S REAR GUARD, \0^ 

Lieut. St. Marc, the chief of the station, and away in 
another storm, which lasted until 3 p. m. Camped at 
N'Gumi. 

Monday^ April 23. — Away at daybreak, and had a real 
bad day's journey, having to cross some almost impassa- 
ble streams ; arrived at Lukunga Stream, which had over- 
flowed its banks for about half a mile on both sides: 
crossed it after sundown, and camped with some mission- 
aries of Bishop Taylor's Mission. 

Tuesday^ April 24. — Away again at daybreak, and rat- 
tled along with sore feet, very sore and swollen, and 
reached M'Banga Manteka at sundown ; found my old 
friends, Mr and Mrs. Ingram here, and was, of course, 
treated uncommonly well ; spent a pleasant evening with 
them, and chatted until past midnight. Casement was 
away elephant-hunting. 

Wednesday^ April 25. — Left Ingram's about 7.30 a. m., 
well fortified with a good breakfast, and trudged along all 
day until evening, camping at N'Kama N'Kosi Stream. 
No tent, and all loads behind. I had gone too far for my 
porters, so had to pass the night in wet clothes, and no 
supper or breakfast. 

Thursday^ April 26. — Away at early dawn, and after a 
most painful march of over twenty-six miles over quartz 
mountains, under a violent, burning sun, I got into Mpal- 
laballa, the Mission Station of the A. B. M. U. Here were 
Mr. and Mrs. Clarke, and I was treated with the utmost 
consideration and kindness. I was worn out upon ar- 
rival here, and came trudging into the station as the sun 
was going down, in veritable rags^ and with clay mud 
sticking to me up to the arm-pits from crossing swollen 
rivers. My feet were very swollen, and I shall apparently 



no My LIFE tVlTII 

suffer from ulcers, caused from scratching my feet where 
the insects had bitten them. 

Friday J April 27. — Away late, as my men had to camp 
far back ; reached Matadi Station after a very unpleasant 
march over the intervening quartz mountains, which Stan- 
ley used to call ^^ the Heart-Breakers." Found the steamer 
had left for Boma the previous day, so went on to N'Kala- 
N'Kala ; had dinner at 6 p. m. and started at 7 p. m. in 
the little dingey for Boma. 

Saturday y April 28. — We got into Boma this morning 
about half-past 3 a. m., woke up Ainsworth and breakfast- 
ed ; at 6.30 I went down to see the Governor, Monsieur 
Jannsens. He at once placed the SS. *' Belgique '' at my dis- 
posal to take me down to Banana, and said he would send 
a special messenger up to the Pool to order the SS. '^ Stan- 
ley '* to await my return until June i. Arrived in Banana 
at 3.30 p. M., turned in at 10 p. m., but could not sleep, 
although for the past month I had hardly had four hours' 
consecutive rest at a time, and last night I was traveling, 
and got no rest whatever. About 2 p. m. I went out on to 
the beach with a blanket around me, and sat by the edge 
of the waves, thinking. 

Sunday y April 29. — Washed, dressed, and again sat 
watching the sea and the far distant horizon ; went to 
Dutch House to breakfast, and during the meal the 
Portuguese mail arrived. Sailed from Banana about 
6 p. M. 

Monday^ April 30. — Arrived at Ambri, and stayed there 
at anchor for the most part of the day ; then up anchor 
and away, arriving at the foot of Loanda at about 11 p. m. 
Not feeling well ; my foot is very inflamed. I stayed on 
board until the morning. 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 111 

Ttiesday, May i. — Went ashore at 6 a. m.; visited the 
firm of Newton, Carnegie & Co., who were very kind, and 
assisted me in clearing my traps from the Customs. Call- 
ed upon Van der Must, of the Dutch'House, and delivered 
a large package of paper money, which Fontaine had en- 
trusted to my charge, and then, having rewritten my cable 
upon a proper telegraph form, I went to the Post Office 
and despatched it. I then went to the French Hotel, a 
frightfully dirty and dear place, but good cooking ; the 
proprietor being a professional. I found he had no ac- 
commodation for to-night, but to-morrow he said he would 
have a vacant room. I breakfasted here, and then return- 
ed to the Dutch House and accepted the hospitality of 
Herr Van der Must. In the evening after dinner we went 
up to the Palace Gardens, where the military band played. 
This I enjoyed immensely, as it is going on for four 
years since I've heard any music of any kind except the 
war-horns and drums of the Upper Congo savages. 

Wednesday, May 2. — I purchased severa:l things in the 
shape of clothes, shirts. I also shaved, and got myself up. 
I was much astonished at the change in my appearance; it 
is decidedly for the better. My leg pains me very much 
to-day, and I went to a doctor's shop to get it fixed. The 
sores were originally mosquito bites, which I scratched 
until they became perfect ulcers. 

Thursday, May 3. — Went up with Nightingale, a par- 
ticularly nice fellow, to pay respects to the Governor ; as 
he was away in the interior, I saw his secretary. The Pal- 
ace has an air of faded grandeur, coats-of-arms painted 
on the ceilings; cobwebs and sleepy officials, etc. 

Friday, May 4. — No reply to my cable yet. I have been 
enjoying myself immensely, and by the kindness of Night- 



1 I i MV LIFE WITH 

ingale, who is the acting chief of Newton, Carnegie & Co., 
I have been out riding every afternoon, on board a fine 
gray mare, a descendant of the old-time cavalry horses of 
the troops here. This was magnificent : a gallop over the 
grassy heights with fine fresh air blowing into one's lungs; 
a really superb view of the city and shipping. I enjoy every 
minute of my life down here. I may be burst up with 
some fatal sickness or something of the kind when I go 
back, so I just enter into as much pleasure as I can get 
while I have the chance. I find very much hospitality 
here; every one is pleasant to me. There is no doubt that 
I am having the best time in the expedition just at pres- 
ent. I often think of poor old Jameson and Troup up 
there, hungry, etc., while I am in clover, or luxury rather, 
down here. 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 113 



CHAPTER XIII. 

On May 6 I received the reply of the Committee in 
London, to the cable I had despatched by instruction of 
Major Barttelot. It was as follows: — 

^^ Major Barttelot, care Ward, Congo. 

" Committee refer you to Stanley's orders of June 24, 
1887. If you cannot march in accordance with these or- 
ders then stay where you are, awaiting his arrival or 
until you receive fresh instructions from Stanley. Com- 
mittee do not authorize engagement of fighting men. 
News has been received from Emin Pacha, via Zanzibar, 
dated Wadelai, November 2. Stanley was not then heard 
of. Emin Pacha is well, and is in no immediate want of 
supplies, and goes to southwest of lake to watch for Stan- 
ley. Letters have been posted regularly via East. 

(Signed) ** Chairman of Committee.'* 

Anxious as I naturally was to set out at once on my 
return journey with this cable from the Committee, I was 
nevertheless unable to proceed for ten days, as there was 
no steamer to take me back to the mouth of the Congo. 
On the 1 6th I set out and reached Matadi on the 20th. I 
had to wait at Matadi for four days for native carriers, 
and as I was further delayed at Lukungu and Manyanga 
by similar reasons, I was unable to get to Leopoldville till 
June II. Here I caught the small State paddle steamer, 
the ^*En Avant," which left on the isth. On July 
3 we met *^ Le Stanley'* on her way down the river from 
Yambuya, and to my surprise I found poor Troup on 
board. He was invalided and on his way home. This 



114 MY LIFE WITH 

was the first opportunity of my getting any news from the 
camp since my departure in March. I was not, however, 
able to glean very much information from Troup. The 
poor fellow was not fit for very much talking. He had 
been having an exceedingly bad time of it, and so pros- 
trated for several weeks that he was completely out of 
everything as regards camp management and affairs at 
Yambuya. The little I did learn was to the effect that 
there had been a tremendous row between Barttelot and 
Tippoo Tib as regards the weight of the loads, and that 
some very angry passages had occurred, which at one 
time threatened to result in Tippoo's people attacking 
Major Barttelot for a supposed insult to their chief. It 
appeared Major Barttelot had suggested, by way of a 
compromise of a difficulty which had arisen, that the 
usual load of sixty pounds should be reduced one-half; 
that he subsequently endeavored to have the loads made 
up over forty pounds weight, and that Tippoo Tib had 
accused him of a breach of contract. Further difficul- 
ties had arisen in consequence of quarrels between our 
people and the Manyemas in the manioc fields, and, in a 
word, things were all at sixes and sevens. He further told 
me that Jameson had had a very interesting and success- 
ful trip to Kassongo, and made some very good sketches, 
some of which had been prepared after a cannibal feast at 
which he had been present. The whole of my conversa- 
tion with Troup, however, was of a flitting and unsatis- 
factory character, owing to his weak condition and the 
bustle which attended the movements on the vessel. 

I received some further instructions from Major Bartte- 
lot in the following letter which the captain of the ^^ Stan- 
ley" handed me: — 



STANLE Y'S REAR G UARD, 1 1 5 

" Yambuya Camp, June 6, 1888. 

<^Sir — On arrival at Eangala you will report yourself 
to the chief of the station, and take over the stores from 
him belonging to the expedition. You will remain at 
Bangala till you receive orders from the Committee con- 
cerning yourself and the loads. Rations at the rate of 
ten metaks per diem will be supplied you, but no advance 
is to be given or asked for. On no account will you leave 
Bangala while you remain in the service of the Expedition, 
till you receive orders from home. Should you do so, you 
will do it at your own expense. 

'^Your orders from home must be submitted to the 
chief of Bangala. On receiving your orders you will in- 
form the Committee of your proceedings. 

'' All stores ordered for the Expedition which you may 
have brought up with you will be included in the list of 
stores handed over by Mr. Von Kerckhoven to you with 
the exception of one box of meat, which you will hand 
over to Mr. Von Kerckhoven. The four guns brought up 
for the payment of the canoes you will hand over to Mr. 
Vangele, as also any private stores you may have brought 
up for me personally. I have the honor to be. Sir, 

^^ Your most obedient servant, 
" Edmund M. Barttelot, Major, 

" Should you bring a telegram of recall for me, you will 
make arrangements with the chief of Bangala to forward it 
to the Falls, where a messenger awaits it. You will not, 
however, send any other message after me, nor will you on 
any account leave Bangala Station, unless you receive 
orders to that effect from the Committee. 

<^ Edmund M. Barttelot." 



Il6 MY LIFE WITH 

This letter appeared to me the unkindest act which had 
been done to me since I had been with the Expedition, 
and on the impulse of the moment I felt inclined to throw 
everything up and return home. I had travelled almost 
night and day for twenty-eight days, and had walked a 
distance of upwards of 245 miles in ten days and a half in 
my anxiety to execute my commissions and get back 
promptly — putting together a record which, I think I may 
say without conceit, had never been beaten in the way of 
swift African travelling. And this w^as my reward! 

I arrived at Bangala seven days later — July 10 — and 
stored the goods in accordance with my instructions. 

An unpleasant period of waiting followed for me, broken 
at last by the sad tidings of Major Barttelot's death, which 
first reached me through the following letter from poor 
Jameson: — 

" Stanley Falls, August 4, 1888. 

^^ My Dear Ward — You will be sorry to hear of the 
death of poor Major Barttelot, who was shot at Unaria on 
July 19. There has been an awful mess since, but I hope 
to get away in two or three days at the most, and then we 
will go as fast as we can leg it. I have not even had time 
to write to my wife or brother by this steamer, so you 
must excuse this scratch. At first I was in an awful state 
about your keeping letters, etc., at Bangala, but on reading 
Major Barttelot's instructions to you last night for the first 
time I find you were only carrying out your orders. I 
have arranged with Tippoo Tib that if you send up all let-- 
ters but no loads, he will send them after me on the faint 
chance of their reaching us, and should they not, they will 
be returned to the Resident here, Mons. Haneuse. Please 
give them to the captain of the steamer which comes up 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. I I 7 

first, and ask him to deliver them to Mons. Haneuse here, 
getting a receipt for the same from the captain, and mak- 
ing him get one from Mons. Haneuse. Do not on any 
account leave your post at Bangala until hearing from 
home, as I might have to employ you at any moment re- 
lative to either telegrams or loads. I have sent a copy of 
this letter to Mr. Mackinnon. Trusting you are in the 
best of health, 

** I remain, yours sincerely, 

"James S. Jameson." 



Il8 MY LIFE WITH 



CHAPTER XIV. 

In less than a fortnight after writing this letter poor 
Jameson had followed Barttelot into the Great Unknown. 
He died in my arms. My notes must tell the sad tale: — 

Bangala (600 miles from Yambuya), 
Thursday, August 16, 8 A. M. 
Feeling a bit out of sorts, I lay down upon my bed, 
when, just as I dozed, a boy came rushing into my room, 
saying in Kiswahili that a white man had just come down 
from the Falls in a canoe. I rushed to the beach, and 
there saw a deathlike figure lying back in the men's arms, 
insensible. I jumped into the canoe, and great Heavens! 
it was poor Jameson. I soon got an umbrella over him, 
and we carried him up into Von Kerckhoven's room. He 
did not recognize me. I took his hand and knelt in front 
of him. His eyes were half-closed and his skin was 
ghastly yellow. No recognition, until, after having ar- 
ranged him upon the bed, he gained consciousness and 
said, ^^ O Ward, is that you ? " and again relapsed. I 
got a warm bath ready, and my boy Msa and I bathed 
him carefully. Poor, poor fellow! he was filthy. Nine 
days in a canoe without any help and without nourish- 
ment! After his bath he brightened up a bit — took some 
Madeira and chicken soup. He said he had had an awful 
journey down, exposed to the tornadoes, wind, and rain, 
lying helpless in a canoe. It is really remarkable that he 
lived. Another day would certainly have finished him. 
He was not able to converse, only to make au occasional 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, II9 

remark, such as ^^ You know, Ward, if I could only get a 
square show at this sickness I should soon be all right," 
and when the Belgians came in from time to time to see 
him, and inquire if he was better, he would reply, ^- Oh, 
yes [pause] much better," but so faintly as to be scarcely 
audible. He slept fairly well during the night, but had 
several attacks of spasms. 

Friday, August 17. 

Poor Jameson does not seem any better (I think not so 
well). His pulse is feeble, he cannot retain his senses 
for more than a minute or two, and can only take a spoon- 
ful of soup at long intervals. I am still by his bedside; 
every quarter of an hour or so he " comes to," and with a 
gaunt smile of recognition he stretches out his meagre 
hand and clasps mine, as if by so doing he steadied his 
nerves. He said just now, "You're so well and clean- 
looking that it does me good to look at you." His reply 
to almost every question is a feeble '' splendid,'' and to 
every inquiry about his condition, *' Oh, in-fi-nitely bet- 
ter," but so feeble, and with such an effort to utter it, that 
he relapses after every such answer into unconsciousness. 

I p. M.— I asked him just now if he was in any pain. 
" No, old chap, no pain, only tired, oh, so tired. I think 
it's time to turn in — it's so dark — so tired," and again be- 
came unconscious. 

2. 10 p. M. — I watch poor Jameson's face as he lies with 
his eyes half-closed, breathing fitfully. I cannot help 
conjecturing what his poor wife is doing at this time. 
How painful would be her lot were she to know what was 
going on in this room. Her locket has always been round 
his neck, and I know from the many remarks made by 
him up at Yambuya when I was ill last October that he 



T20 MY LIFE WITH 

loves her very much. How I wish I could get him home 
to his wife and child and brothers. For me it would be 
nothing, as, except my dear mother, I care little, and am 
cared for little by my kindred; but he is so popular, and 
his future so bright. 

It is sad to look upon his pallid face and attenuated 
limbs, his finely chiselled features, high and broad fore- 
head and long, wavy hair, which has not been cut for 
months. He is a fine, intelligent, brave fellow. Even 
exhausted and weak as he is he still retains his old coura- 
geous spirit and bears up most pluckily. Never a word 
of complaint, and always so abundantly thankful for even 
the slightest service. Poor, poor chap ! I do hope most 
fervently that he will get better, but I cannot get over a 
feeling of sad doubt. This is his third severe attack of 
bilious haematuric fever, and I fear it will finish him. It 
has been invariably so since the country was first opened 
up. All doctors out here have always sent home, with- 
out hesitation, patients suffering from haematuria. He 
has spoken very little to-day and seems thoroughly and 
completely prostrated, notwithstanding the nourishment 
and brandy and quinine. 

3 p. M. — I put mustard leaves on his calves, but I fear 
the mustard has become useless from the climate. I have 
given him nourishment upon every occasion, but he does 
not rally, and only gets feebler. 

6 p. M. — Darnen and I put hot bricks round him, as his 
extremities had grown cold. He grows weaker and 
weaker. The drums have just beat to knock off work in 
the station. He opened his eyes and stared at me, clutch- 
ing my hands, and saying with a husky voice, **Ward, 
Ward ! they're coming ! listen !" (And the drums con- 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, I 2 I 

tinued to rumble in the distance.) ^^ Yes, they're coming ! 
Now let's stand together !'* (He was thinking of the old 
times, when the drums signified war to the natives.) 

7 p. M. — He groans and breathes heavily. Msa and I 
replaced the hot bricks every few minutes. He is quite 
prostrated and unconscious. 

7.20. — His pulse grows weaker and weaker. 

7.32. — As I supported him to administer brandy with a 
spoon he drew a long breath, and his pulse stopped. 

The Belgians were at dinner, and I sent Msa to bring 
them. They came a minute or two after all was over. 

12 A. M. — I have arranged him as well as I could, sealed 
up his box and had a Houssa guard stationed by the 
house. I have got the Belgian carpenter to make a coffin, 
although the poor chap had been ill in bed with fever all 
day. I promised him a couple of pounds for his work. 
Darnen has gone across the river with men to dig the 
grave for my poor friend's remains. It rains heavily. 

I cannot rest. Never in my life have I experienced 
such a deep regret as I have now for this poor chap's 
death. How vividly can I picture him up at Yambuya, 
and how well can I call to mind his future plans ! We 
used to talk over our future together when sketching and 
collecting. 

Saturday, August 18. 

I walked about all night, quite beside myself with sad- 
ness, and at the very earliest streak of dawn Msa and T 
arranged poor Jameson in his coffin. I wrapped one of 
my two ^^ Union-jacks'* around his body. The coffin I 
had varnished, in order to preserve it as long as possible 
from decay and ants. Black velvet was nailed all over it 



122 MY LIFE WITH 

and *^ J. S. J." (his initials) were cut in a piece of copper 
plate and nailed on the top. As soon as it was sufficiently 
light I took some hurried photographs of his face. My 
other <^ Union-jack" covered the coffin, and he was borne 
to the canoe by four Houssas (British subjects and State 
soldiers). We proceeded slowly across the river — a 
melancholy party, including all the Belgians and many 
Houssas and people of the station, in addition to the 
Manyemas and all who came down with him in the canoes 
from the Falls. Upon arriving at the opposite shore we 
bore the body to the grave, arranged sun-dried bricks on 
the bottom and large canoe-boards over the coffin so that, 
should his friends at some future time desire to have the 
body conveyed home, it would be in as good a state as 
possible. And then we all helped to close in the grave of 
one of the finest and bravest men it has ever been my lot 
to meet. 

Lieutenant Dhanis and myself had overhauled his 
effects, sealing up and signing each package. I had pre- 
viously removed his ring, and his locket and chain from 
his neck, packed his papers, and made a complete inven- 
tory. All this sad work lasted until 5 p. m., and then, 
tired out, I returned to my room. I have a strong fever 
on me, and have quite lost my voice from a chill I think 
I caught last night. 

After perusing his diaries and other papers, I find I must 
at once go down to the coast and cable home the sad news 
of his death and position of the Expedition. I feel very 
low, and need rest, for I have not had more than an 
hour's sleep for upwards of sixty hours, and have taken 
no nourishment. This sad business has completely un- 
nerved me. 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, I 23 

Sunday, August 19. 

Passed a bad night, the fever clinging to me until nearly 
daylight. I then slept until eight o'clock, took a little 
breakfast, and am now hard at work writing and copying 
letters concerning the affairs of the Expedition and poor 
Jameson's effects. Lieutenant Dhanis and Lieutenant 
Darnen have behaved splendidly through all this trying 
time. Nothing could exceed their thoughtful and gener- 
ous assistance. 

Before setting out on my journey to the coast once 
more, I wrote Bonny as follows: — 

'' Bangala, August 19, 1888. 

*^ Dear Bonny — It is with the sincerest regret that I 
have to announce to you the death of poor Jameson. 

^^ He arrived here on the morning of the i6th inst. in a 
completely exhausted condition, having been exposed to 
bad weather in his canoe during a severe attack of haema- 
turic fever. He had no fever symptoms upon arriving 
here, but was terribly yellow, and so far gone that he 
asked for a stimulant in order to give him strength to bear 
being carried up from the canoe. He had only taken one 
or two bananas and one cup of goat soup during his nine 
days' journey. He lost consciousness soon after arriving 
here, and, notwithstanding all our efforts to nourish and 
sustain him, he gradually but steadily sank until 7.30 p. m. 
of the 17th inst., when poor Jameson died. 

"He was buried at 8 a. m. on the i8th inst. 

" I was with him all the time, but he never retained 
sufficient consciousness to give me any full information. 
From his papers I have gathered that no head man can 
manage the Manyemas but Rachid, who refuses to go; 
Sefo (Tippoo Tib's son), who cannot leave his post at 



124 MY LIFE WITir 

KassongOj and Tippoo Tib himself, who requires 20,000/. 
irrespective of men's pay, and who will give no guarantee; 
who states that if he meets with any strong opposition en 
route he will turn back, but still require his 20,000/. 

^^ Therefore there can be no doubt that my duty is to 
proceed at once to the coast and telegraph the state of 
affairs. I enclose you a copy of the two telegraphic an- 
swers, and if I meet the steamer en route I shall naturally 
open and peruse whatever instructions have been sent. (I 
personally expect that we shall be recalled, for further ac- 
tion on our part seems impossible.) I took careful 
inventory of poor Jameson's effects in the presence of the 
chief of Bangala Station, and take his box, etc., down with 
me to be sent home at earliest opportunity, as his papers 
are very comprehensive and valuable in the present state 
of affairs. I am sending you up your European letters 
^Xi& private boxes of provisions, which I know you will be 
glad of. They will go up by first steamer. I could not 
obtain a truss for you. I enclose an inventory of the 
boxes of provisions. I used one bottle Madeira, one tin 
Brand's essence, and one tin biscuits for poor Jameson, 
and a small quantity of Cognac. These provisions were 
sent up by me from Mr. Ingham, missionary. 

^^ My dear Bonny, keep up your spirits. Things have 
turned out sadly indeed, but despondency in this country 
causes illness. 

*^I start down to-morrow morning, 21st, and will write 
you. I go down with Jameson's canoes and our Expedi- 
tion men and a few Bangalas. 

" Again, keep your spirits up. 

^'I remain, yours very sincerely, 

*^ Herbert Ward. 
*'W. Bonny, Esq."^ 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. I25 



CHAPTER XV. 

With all possible speed I made way to the cable station 
at St. Paul de Loanda and dispatched the following cable, 
which explained the situation of affairs as I understood it 
after my necessarily brief perusal of Jameson's papers: 

**To Mackinnon (Gray, Dawes & Co.): 
" Austin Friars, London. 
** Barttelot's death broke up Expedition; Manyemas 
disbanded. Jameson coming Bangala died there August 
17; fever. He reported Tippoo Tib only man competent 
command Manyemas; his unalterable terms 20,000/. ster- 
ling unconditionally, irrespective Manyemas' pay, but re- 
turns if opposed without forfeiting above term.s. Route, 
Nyangwe, Kibero, Unyoro. Bonny and remaining loads 
Yarrocombi, close Stanley Falls. Many men and loads 
missing. Awaiting reply Loanda. 

To this the Committee replied on September 25 as fol- 
lows: 

''- Telegram received. Terms demanded Tippoo Tib 
declined. Committee probably abandon proposed Expe- 
dition. Will telegraph instructions disposal stores here- 
after." 

A series of cables then succeeded regarding the papers 
and collections of Major Barttelot and Mr. Jameson, and 
on October 4 the following final instructions reached me 
from the Committee: 

'' Return Stanley Falls; leave powder, Remington cart- 



126 MY LIFE WITH 

ridges and portion of goods in charge officer there; in case 
communication with Emin opens sell remainder goods to 
State. See Governor about this. Bring Bonny, all men 
Expedition, all Barttelot's and Jameson's effects and col- 
lections Banana; ship them England, care Gray, Dawes & 
Co. If help wanted engage and take back Casement. 
Wire if these instructions understood.'' 

To which I replied that I would return on the isth — 
the earliest possible date. 

By this time seven months had elapsed since I had set 
out on my journey from the Aruwimi Camp, and this was 
the situation of affairs. Troup was either in England or 
very near there. Barttelot had been murdered; Jameson 
had died in my presence; and now I was under orders to 
make my way back as best I could to Stanley Falls, to 
leave certain of the goods at the Falls, and to take every- 
body back to the coast. Of course, I was not then ac- 
quainted with the fact — which I afterwards learned — that 
Mr. Stanley had got back to Bonalya (Unaria), where 
Major Barttelot was murdered on the very day poor Jame- 
son had passed away at Bangala. 

The continuation of my story is best told in the follow- 
ing letters of mine to Sir Wm. Mackinnon: 

** October 26, 1888. 

'^ Sir. — I have the honor to inform you that I arrived in 
Boma on the 19th inst. 

" I submitted my instructions to Governor Ledeganch, 
who requested me to remain in Boma until after the ar- 
rival of the Portuguese mail of the 28th inst., in order 
that he might receive more detailed instructions from 
Bruxelles concerning the goods of the Emin Expedition. 
The Governor also informed me that the new steamer 



STANLEY'S REAR CUARD, I27 

' Ville de Bruxelles ' would be my first opportunity of 
reaching Stanley Falls, and that she would not leave Stan- 
ley Pool until the middle of December next. I instruct- 
ed Mr. Fontaine, of the Dutch House, to send you a de- 
tailed account of my expenditure, which consisted of 
payment of cablegrar.is, personal allowance of 25^'. per 
diem, passages to and from St. Paul de Loanda, private 
expenditure of ^v^ guineas for clothes, etc., which please 
place to my debit, and I will pay upon my return home. 
I received yesterday a cablegram from the Committee, 
dated October 13, and will fulfil the instructions. 

*^ I have the honor, sir, to remain, 
*^Your obedient servant, 

^^ Herbert Ward. 
** Mr. William Mackinnon, 
** President Emin Relief Committee." 

** Boma, November 3, 1888. 

*^ Sir — Upon the same day as the arrival of the Portu- 
guese mail from Europe — /. ^., 30th — news reached Boma 
from the stations of Stanley Pool and Lukunga that small- 
pox was spreading over the country, and in consequence 
I have been compelled to remain till the 5th inst., when I 
proceed to Matadi by a Portuguese cutter. I have only 
the six Zanzibaris that I brought down with me, it being 
impossible to obtain nativeSo (These Zanzibaris are in 
very poor condition.) Lieutenant Becker, who is also pro- 
ceeding to Stanley Falls, will leave Boma on the 12th inst. 

'^ The Governor received no instructions about purchas- 
ing the Emin Expedition stores from Bruxelles, but will 
receive the goods, and refers me to Bruxelles for the mon- 
etary settlement. He will take no responsibility. It is 
finally settled that the ' Ville de Bruxelles ' will start for 



128 . MY LIFE WITH 

Stanley Falls, December 12, so that we shall be due back 
here in Boma about February 20, 1889." 

*' Stanley Pool, December 6, 18S8. 

** Sir — I last wrote dated N'Gombe, November 29, and 
I arrived in Leopoldville on December i. 

** Lieutenant Baert, Tippoo Tib's Belgian secretary, had 
arrived on the previous day in SS. ' Le Stanley,' having left 
the Falls in a whale-boat under the care of another Belgian, 
on September 25. I learnt from him the particulars of 
Mr. Stanley's return to Unaria, and he handed me a letter 
from Mr. Bonny, addressed to the late Mr. Jameson, which 
under the circumstances I opened and read. This letter 
please find enclosed. 

'^ Major Parminter having despatched a special messen- 
ger with a cablegram to the Committee with the news of 
Mr. Stanley's return, I therefore considered it unnecessary 
to cable anything further than the information which I 
gathered from Lieutenant Baert concerning Mr. Stanley's 
correspondence, which had been for some reason detained 
at Stanley Falls by the State Resident, Lieutenant Haun- 
euse, and which, therefore, cannot possibly reach you be- 
fore March. 

"• Lieutenant Baert also informed me that together with 
the packets of correspondence addressed Gray, Dawes & 
Co., sent by Mr. Stanley to the Resident of the Falls to be 
forwarded to Europe, was a letter addressed to the late 
Mr. Jameson. Thi% letter I shall endeavor to obtain and 
read, as there is every possibility of finding out Mr. Stan- 
ley's wishes therein concerning the 200 odd loads in store 
at Bangala. Should I, however, be unsuccessful in obtaining 
this letter I consider it my proper course to take all the 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, I 29 

loads from Bangala up to Stanley Falls, and to endeavor 
to induce Tippoo Tib to provideme with Manyema porters 
to convey the Remington ammunition to Lake Albert. 

'^ I would suggest to the Committee to cable instructions 
to me immediately upon the receipt of this letter, based 
upon the assumption that I have neither obtained Mr. 
Stanley's letter of instructions to the late Mr Jameson, nor 
been able to obtain sufficient aid from Tippoo Tib to pro- 
ceed, and that I am at Stanley Falls with the loads await- 
ing your orders. Should the Committee favor this course 
and despatch instructions immediately, it is probable that 
the message would be in time for the Dutch House SS. 
^Holland.' 

** I have the honor, etc., 

'^Herbert Ward." 

*' Stanley Pool, December 7, 1888. 
^' Dear Sir — The information I have elicited in course 
of conversation with Lieutenant Baert, Tippoo Tib's secre- 
tary, concerning Mr. Stanley's return to Unaria, will inter- 
est you. Upon August 25 a Zanzibar! of Mr. Stanley's, 
accompanied by two m^en belonging to the head man of 
Unaria, arrived at Stanley Falls bearing the following let- 
ter to Tippoo Tib from Mr. Stanley: — 

" ' Boma of Unaria, August 17, l883. 
^' ' To Sheik Hamad bir Mohammed^ from his good frie?id^ 

"H. M. Sta?iley. 
" * Many salaams to you. 

'* * I hope you are in good health as I am, and that you 
have remained in good health since I parted with you on 
the Congo. I have many things to say to you, but I hope 
I shall see you face to face before many days. I reached 



130 MY LIFE WITH 

this place this morning with 130 Nangwana, three soldiers, 
and sixty-six natives from Emin Pasha. This is now the 
eighty-second day since I left Emin Pasha on the Nyanza, 
and we have only lost three men on the way — two have 
been drowned and one ran away. 

^^ ^ I found the white man whom I was looking for, 
Emin Pasha, quite v/ell, and the other white man, Casarti, 
quite well also. Emin Pasha has ivory in abundance, 
cattle by thousands, sheep, goats, fowls, and food of every 
kind. We found him to be a very good and kind man. 
He gave a number of things to all our white and black 
men. His liberality could not be exceeded. His soldiers 
blessed our black men for coming so far to show th^m the 
way, and many of them were ready to follow me at once 
out of the country, but I asked them to stay quiet yet a 
few months that I might come back and fetch the other 
men and goods that I have left in Yambuya. And they 
prayed God to give me strength that I might finish my 
work. May their prayer be heard ! And now, my friend, 
what are you going to do ? We have gone the road twice 
over. We know where it is bad and where it is good. We 
know where there is plenty of food and where there is 
none — where all the camps are, and where we shall sleep 
and rest. I am waiting to hear your words. If you go 
with me it is well. If you do not go with me it is well 
also. I leave it to you. I stay here ten days, and then I 
go on slowly. I move from here to a big island two hours' 
march from here, and above this.^ There are plenty of 
houses and plenty of food for the men. Whatever you 
have to say to me my ears will be open with a good heart, 
as it has always been toward you. Therefore, come 
quickly, for on the eleventh morn from this I will move 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, I3I 

on. All my white men are well, but I left them all be- 
hind except my servant William, who is with me. 

^^* Salaams, etc., to all (enumerating several Arabs' 
names). 

" *• Henry M. Stanley.* 

" Mr. Stanley's man stated, when questioned, that on 
this return journey they had descended the Aruwimi 'River 
for twenty-one days in canoes. They had only had one 
serious engagement with the natives since starting from 
Yambuya. It occurred in the district of the Albert Lake, 
and the people were very strong. 

" Upon reaching Unaria Mr. Stanley was furious when 
he found only a small portion of his goods there, and was 
particularly incensed by a rumor of his death, the origin 
of which he attributed to the late Mr. Jameson. He told 
the Arabs at Unaria that when he met Mr. Jameson he 
should- fight him. The Zanzibaris stated that Mr. Stanley 
said emphatically that he should not pay any agreement 
between the late Major Barttelot and the late Mr. Jame- 
son with Tippoo Tib for providing the 400 Manyemas. 
At present this is all the information I can gather; when 
I reach the Falls and can personally interrogate the Arabs 
from Unaria I shall probably obtain many more details, 
a careful account of which I shall forward to you without 
delay. The above information is not too reliable, having 
come to me second-hand. The letter of Mr. Stanley to 
Tippoo Tib is copied .from a copy made from the original 
through the kindness of Lieutenant Baert, to whom I have 
given my promise that it should not be published. 

" I have obtained from Mr. Baert information concern- 
ing the collections of the late Mr. Jam'Cson, and have 



132 MY LIFE WITH 

communicated the same to Mr. Andrew Jameson of Dublin. 
The tin box mentioned in Mr. Bonny's letter, together 
with other things in the hands of Tippoo Tib, I will en- 
deavor to obtain, and forward according to your cabled 

instructions. 

" I remain, sir, yours faithfully, 

" Herbert Ward. 
** Mr. William Mackinnon.'* 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 1 33 



CHAPTER XVI. 

At last I was enabled to write Sir William Mackinnon 
as follows: — 

''Stanley Pool, January 5, 1889. 
'' Sir — I have the honor to inform you that I am leav- 
ing here on the 7th inst. on board ' Le Stanley,' which pro- 
ceeds to Bangala only. 

^^ Lieutenant Becker has not arrived yet, but it is be- 
lieved that he is on the road. Upon arriving at Stanley 
Pool he will at once proceed to the Falls on board the new 
State steamer ^ Ville de Bruxelles.' 

^^ I have the honor, Sir, to remain, 
*^ Your obedient servant, 

<^ Herbert Ward. 

** William Mackinnon, Esq., 

" President Emin Relief Committee." 

" January 31, 1889." 
^^ Sir — I have the honor to report my arrival at Bangala 
on January 22 on board ^ Le Stanley.' 

*' Lieutenant Von Kerckhoven retained ' Le Stanley ' for 
political reasons, and started for Upoto on January 25. I 
requested him to convey the Expedition loads myself as 
far as he was going, but he objected, stating that as he 
would have hostile operations with the natives in several 
places, witnesses would be undesirable. 

^^The steamship ^ Roi des Beiges' arrived at Bangala 
on January 20 from Stanley Falls. Mr. Stanley's 
correspondence was duly delivered to the chief of the 
station here, Lieutenant Darnen. It will be despatched 



134 MY LIFE WITH 

from here by canoe. I applied for the letter from Mr. 
Stanley to the late Mr. Jameson. It was produced, but 
the conditions did not warrant my opening it. Lieutenant 
Von Kerckhoven left instructions with Lieutenant Darnen 
to the effect that it should be delivered to me as repre- 
senting the Expedition only on the understanding that two 
copies should be made, one copy to remain at Bangala 
and the other to be sent to the Governor at Boma. As I 
do not consider myself warranted in giving this publicity 
to Mr. Stanley* s letter, I decline to accept it. 

"• I have ascertained that Tippoo Tib is only awaiting 
the arrival of Mr. Greshoff at Stanley Falls before starting 
to Zanzibar to pay his respects to the new Sultan. 

" The ^ Ville de Bruxelles ' is daily expected here from 
Stanley Pool. 

^* I have the honor, etc., 

*^ Herbert Ward. 

*' P. S. — Tippoo Tib will then proceed to Belgium to 
see H. M. King Leopold IL^' 

(The following is a copy of the letter in question.) 

*'On March above Banalya. 
"August 30, 1888. 
^' Dear Sir — I know that Bonny has written to you 
about my arrival, so I may be brief. Arriving at Banalga 
17 inst.,"^ I have been busy ever since reorganizing the Ex- 
pedition, which I found to be in a terrible state. To-day 
the second march from Banalga has begun and we shall 
continue on. Bonny showed me your letter of the 12th 
inst., wherein you stated it to be your purpose to go to 
Bangala. I cannot make out why the Major, you, Troup, 

■^The day poor Jameson died at Banalga, 700 miles away 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 1 35 

and Ward have been so demented — demented is the word. 
You understand English — an English letter of instructions 
was given you. You said it was intelligible, yet for some 
reason or another you have not followed one paragraph. 
You paid a thousand pounds to go on this Expedition, you 
have voluntarily thrown your money away by leavmg the 
Expedition. Ward is not a whit better: he has acted all 
through, as I hear, more like an idiot than like a sane be- 
ing. You have left me naked; I have no clothes, no medi- 
cine; I will say nothing of my soap and candles, a photo- 
graph apparatus and chemicals, two silver watches, a cap, 
and a score of other trifles. You believed I was dead, 
yet you brought along my boots, and two hats, and a flan- 
nel jacket. You believed the Expedition had gone to 
Ujiji, yet you took Stairs' and the other oflicers' goods 
along. Is this not rather inconsistent ? 

^^ I shall proceed along the south bank of the river for 
nearly two months and then cross the river to the north 
bank, then straight to the Nyanza. If you can bring my 
kit with you you are welcome to go on with us if you can 
catch us up. Forty guns will take you along safely to the 
point where we cross the river. Emin Pacha is quite well. 
All our officers are well; we have lost 50 per cent of men. 
I have come from the Nyanza in eighty-two days and from 
our fort in sixty-one days. 

'* Our track will be quite clear as a highway, two 
marches from Banalga, or, as you call it, Unaria. It will 
be white all the way to the crossing. If you can find where 
we landed on the north bank — it will be one march above 
Nepoko confluence with the Aruwimi — you will be able to 
follow us with forty guns; with less it would be dangerous. 
The plains are twenty-five marches from the crossing-place. 



136 MY LIFE WITH 

Splendid young country — game of all kinds I have left 
all the officers at Fort Bodo except Jephson, who is with 
Emin Pacha, Though, as reported to me, you, all of you, 
seemed to have acted like madmen, your version may 
modify my opinion. Therefore I write this brief note to 
you in the midst of bustle and hurry. 

^^ Yours truly, 
(Signed) '' Henry M. Stanley/' 

To Mr. Stanley I wrote as follows: — 

"" Stanley Falls, February 21, 1889. 

^^ Dear Mr. Stanley— I am sending this brief letter 
to you by an Arab, Nasaro bin Sulieman, who starts from 
here to-morrow for Zanzibar. 

March 28, 1889. — I left Yambuya Camp with a tele- 
gram from Major Barttelot, to the Emin Relief Committee. 
I reached Banana on April 29, and despatched the cable 
from St. Paul de Loanda on May 1. I left Loanda with 
the Committee's reply on May 16, and upon arriving at 
Bangala, July 10, received a letter from Major Barttelot, 
instructing me to remain at Bangala with the loads that 
he bad sent down to that station for storage. Previous to 
my departure from Yambuya, Major Barttelot promised 
that I should follow him up if he had been successful in 
starting before my return. I had no alternative then but 
to stay at Bangala, as Major Barttelot had previously ar- 
ranged with the State, and I could not, therefore, obtain a 
passage. August 16 (the day of your arrival at Unaria) 
Jameson reached Bangala in canoe. He was in an uncon- 
scious condition and suffering from the effects of bilious 
haematuric fever. August 17 Jameson died in my arms at 
7 p. M. 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 1^7 

<* As I had no chance of reaching Stanley Falls I at 
once proceeded to Leo in canoe, and from thence to Lo- 
anda to cable for instructions from the Committee. 
October 15 I left Loanda with the Committee's cabled 
instructions, which were [copy of cable], 

*^ I have used all dispatch in executing these instruc- 
tions, and arrived at Stanley Falls on February 16 with all 
the Expedition loads from Bangala. Finding that further 
action on my part was useless, I have handed all the loads 
in care of the Resident of Stanley Falls, and am waiting 
a few days to collect the two or three sick men who were 
abandoned to Tippoo Tib when Major Barttelot broke 
the camp on the Aruwimi River. 

'^ I intend conveying your ten personal loads to London. 
I made every inquiry about the possibility of sending 
goods to meet you at Sabora, but could not obtain suffi- 
cient guarantee from the Arabs. 

*^I deeply regret that my services have not been more 
profitable to you ; circumstances have been dead against 
me. I remain, Mr. Stanley, 

^^ Always yours faithfully, 

*^ Herbert Ward." 

Little more remains to be told. With the few men 
remaining from the Expedition I set out from Stanley 
Falls on m.y last journey down the Congo on March 10 
in canoes lent me by Tippoo Tib. Our small party num- 
bered fourteen souls — six able-bodied men, four invalids, 
three boys and myself. We traveled 1,160 miles in all, 
meeting vvith the same difficulties and dangers as had beset 
me on my first trip. For fifteen days we travelled over- 
land, the remainder of the journey being by water. As 



i:>8 MY LIFE WITH 

we moved along one of my poor fellows died, and another 
elected to remain at a Mission station, so that by the time 
we got to Banana there were only twelve of us left. Here, 
acting on the instructions of the Committee, I took pas- 
sage for my party on board the *^ Afrikaan " and, travelling 
via Rotterdam, reached England on July 4, 1889. In a 
few days my faithful blacks were transferred to a ship 
bound for Zanzibar, and we finally parted. As I stood 
on the quay watching their vessel glide through the dock 
gates they clustered round the gangway, and with affec- 
tion lighting up their swarthy countenances their familiar 
voices sent their parting to my ears: Kwa heri^ Kwa hert, 
bwa7ia 7uangu I (good-bye, my master, good-bye). They 
had served me faithfully and well — companions of my 
troubles and my dangers — and my heart went out to them 
in true sympathy and gratitude as I waved them a last 
farewell. 

A few days afterwards I received the following letter 
from the Committee of the Expedition, together with an 
honorarium of 330/. — an unlocked for compliment : — 

^' Dear Sir — I have the pleasure, by desire of the 
Emin Relief Committee, of sending you the following 
copy of a minute passed at their meeting to-day : — 

" ^ The Committee wish to record their full apprecia- 
tion of the services Mr. Ward has rendered to the Expe- 
dition, and the faithful manner in which he has performed 
the duties entrusted to him.' 

'' I am yours faithfully, 
[Signed] <^ F. de Winton, 

'' Hon. Sec. 
*' Emin Relief Committee, July 5, i88g." 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, I39 



MY REPLY TO MR. STANLEY. 

It is somewhat difficult to reply to Mr. Stanley as com- 
pletely as I would wish. His allegations are scattered, 
and even at this moment there is no guarantee that he 
will not give publicity to some further story or piece of 
camp gossip, in retaliation for the publication of this and 
other replies to his insinuations. Great publicity was 
given to the announcement that on December 3 last the 
leader of the Emin Relief Expedition would tell the full 
and complete story of the Rear Guard in a lecture in New 
York. The lecture was delivered. There was nothing 
very new in it, but it brought together all the charges that 
had been made at different times previously ; and we con- 
sidered ourselves justified in believing that Mr. Stanley 
had had his full and last say on the subject. Very little 
time, however, was allowed to elapse before Mr. Stanley, 
brought to book for certain of his statements, rushed off 
to one new charge and one old charge, about which he had 
thought well to say nothing in his lecture. The first of 
these was an insinuation of immorality in our camp at Yam- 
buya ; the second and old matter already dealt with, was 
the monstrous suggestion that I had misappropriated certain 
brass rods (the currency of the country) belonging to the 
Expedition. Under these circumstances, therefore, all I 
can hope to do is to deal with Mr. Stanley — as the current 
phrase has it — ^^ up to date ;" and without prejudice as 
regards anything which may happen in the future.- 

It appears to me that the best thing I can do in meet- 
ing Mr. Stanley's charges is to take from his lecture cer- 



140 MY LIPE WITH 

tain extracts affecting myself, to deal with these in detail, 
and then to refer to the two additional matters I speak of. 

Before proceeding to do this, however, it is necessary that 
I should point out one thing. It is this: I left Yambuya 
Camp on March 28, 1888, on my journey down to the 
coast, and did not get back again till long after Mr. Stan- 
ley had returned and the whole camp had been broken up. 
Therefore, in all I say and speak of I must only be taken 
as referring to matters antecedent to the date I name — 
March 28, 1888. Of what happened after this date I 
can say nothing, for I know nothing from personal knowl- 
edge. 

With this explanation I will now proceed. The extracts 
I quote are taken from the report of Mr. Stanley's lecture 
given in the New York Tribtme: 

" But after the advance column had returned from the 
Albert Nyanza, we found, to our grief and horror, that 
Major Barttelot had been shot, that Mr. Troup had been 
invalided home, that Mr. Jameson was away at Stanley 
Falls and Mr. Ward was detained at Bangala, and that 
164 Zanzibaris and Soudanese were either dead, deserted 
or missing ; that forty-two were dying then in camp ; that 
there were only sixty men left out of 270 men able to 
travel, that only about one-third of the goods were left, 
and that the report of the survivors was so shocking in its 
character and nature, revealing so much irresolution, weak- 
ness, unmanliness, craven submission to tyranny, selfish- 
ness and brutality, that I was compelled to say that the 
rear column was wrecked by the irresolution, ne-glect and 
indifference.'' — Mr. Stanley at New York. 

Mr. Stanley here speaks of irresolution, neglect and in- 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, I4I 

difference ! The application of the phrases is absurd. 
There was no Irresolution. We were told that Tippoo 
Tib would supply 600 porters. He kept putting us off 
from day to day with promises, specious at the moment, 
and apparently worthy of credence by us at first. As we 
waited our men grew worse and worse, and the necessity 
for the porters became greater each day. Mr. Stanley 
himself created the impression that he would be back in 
five months, and as time drew nearer to the completion of 
this period, the necessity for our moving grew less. When 
the ^^^ months had passed, and no news came, our diffi- 
culties increased. The promised porters came not ; we 
were unaware whether the Advance Force lived or not. 
What were we to do ? 

" Neglect " ! The word has no meaning if it does not 
imply that the neglect was wanton. That there was 
wanton neglect I emphatically deny. That all the avail- 
able medicine was not used I quite as readily admit. But 
if it was not used, it was not from any improper spirit. 
Major Barttelot's view of the situation was that he had 
been entrusted with the stores, and that he should deliver 
them up intact. Some of us did not take this view, and 
argued our point, but without avail. What more could 
we do ? We suffered equally with the blacks, but there 
was no help for it. 

^^Indifference"! Surely it was not in any spirit of 
*^ indifference " I made two journeys to Stanley Falls un- 
der all the difficulties my notes describe, and subsequent- 
ly traveled, under the most trying conditions, through a 
dangerous country to send the cable from the coast. Nor 
w^as it in any spirit of indifference Barttelot, Troup, and 
Jameson made their subsequent journeys to Tippoo Tib 



142 MV LIFE WITH 

and Kassongo, and that Jameson offered 20,000/. out of 
his own pocket to expedite matters. 

"• I say that I cannot understand why the five officers, 
having means for moving, confessedly burning with a de- 
sire to move, and animated with the highest feelings, did 
not set forward on our track as directed; or why, believ- 
ing I was alive, the officer sent my personal baggage down 
the river and reduced their chief to a. state of destitution; 
or why they should send European provisions and two 
dozen bottles of Madeira wine down-river when there were 
thirty-three men sick and hungry in camp; or why Mr. 
Bonny should allow his own rations to be sent down while 
he was present; or why Mr. Ward should be sent down- 
river with a despatch, and an order sent after him to pre- 
vent his return to the expedition. I say these are a few 
of the problems which puzzle me, and which clearly prove 
to every one that there is a mystery for which I cannot 
conceive a reasonable solution; and, therefore, each read- 
er of this narrative must think his own thoughts, but con- 
strue the whole charitably.*' — Mr. Stanley at New York. 

Mr. Stanley here speaks as if we were fully informed 
regarding his whereabouts and requirements. We were 
not in possession of any such information. Indeed, if we 
were to judge by appearances, Mr. Stanley and his Ad- 
vance Column had suffered some grave disaster. He had 
not put in his promised appearance at the end of the five 
months, and there was no news whatever from him. 
Apart altogether from the fact that I had left the camp in 
March, and the time he speaks of was June, when I was 
hundreds of miles away, it must be borne in mind that if 
the European provisions and Madeira were sent away it 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 1 43 

was not, I assume, from any sense of neglect, or desire to 
deprive the sick and suffering — who included, let it never 
be forgotten, white as well as black men— but from a 
Quixotic intention to carry out Mr. Stanley's instructions 
to the letter. In going to the coast and subsequently re- 
maining at Bangala, I obeyed the orders of the chief Mr. 
Stanley placed over me. I can say nothing more. 

"Two of the surviving officers, Messrs. Troup and 
Ward, loudly and insistently claim to have done the best 
they could do in futhering the object of the expedition. I 
frankly acknowledge that they did as far as it was possible 
without incurring personal danger, or disturbing that bliss- 
ful state of mind which is oblivious of duty and deaf to 
the call of suffering humanity. But, as their chief and 
employer, bearing in mind their repeated and effusive 
promises to me, remembering their eager applications for 
service, and their vows to distinguish themselves by faith- 
ful and loyal conduct, with their signed contracts testify- 
ing against their performances, I cannot reconcile that 
moral and physical inaction at Yambuya with the obliga- 
tions they had undertaken and the duties which we expect 
from high-minded, brave and honorable men. And their 
subsequent conduct, after retreating from the presence of 
danger, one on the plea of illness, and the other of being 
used as a messenger, is as little consistent with those 
prmciples which every schoolboy is taught in every civil- 
ized land must animate every man who wishes to be com- 
mended as a virtuous man, obedient to the call of duty. 
With unblushing effrontery and ^ brazen impudence they 
lead that tribe of writers who delight in scandal, and from 
lecture platforms undertake to censure and denounce me 



144 MY LIFE WITH 

as the cause of their pitiful failure." — Mf\ Stanley at New 
York, 

It may or may not have been v/rong of me. to obey the 
orders of my chief officer. Be that as it may, it must 
never be forgotten that in obeying these orders I exposed 
myself to great personal danger in travelling through a 
hostile country, handicapped by many difficulties of transit, 
and fev/ men. The talk of my shirking personal danger 
is, under these circumstances, pure and unadulterated non- 
sense. As for physical and moral inaction, there was 
none such while I was at Yambuya. When Mr. Stanley 
talks of my want of faithfulness to him he altogether ig- 
nores the fact that it was notorious that I was always one 
to stand up for him in every way when discussions took 
place at Yambuya. The question of denouncing Mr. 
Stanley is one altogether beside the point; but I may say 
I have never spoken of him on any platform, save in con- 
nection with his wonderful achievements as an explorer. 
I object altogether to Mr. Stanley's coupling my name 
with any other officer of the Rear Guard. I have stood 
alone all through this controversy, and must be treated in 
my individual capacity. 

" I have not charged these gentlemen with being disloyal 
or disobedient, but that they were indifferent to the writ- 
ten letter of instructions; that is, that they put them aside 
and followed their own inclinations. But if it be true that 
Mr. Ward stood up at a table and publicly proposed that 
my instructions should be cancelled and Major Barttelot's 
ideas carried out in the future, would I not be justified in 
supposing that there was something more than indiffer- 
ence ? Would it not be fair to suppose that there had 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 1 45 

been some understanding between Mr. Barttelot and Mr. 
Ward hostile to me ? If it be true that Mr. Ward, through 
instructions from Mr. Barttelot, was in the habit of ques- 
tioning Zanzibaris and Arabs as to what they knew of my 
conduct in Central Africa on former expeditions, would I 
not be justified in supposing that Mr. Ward was thus pliant 
and conciliatory, diligent in furthering his ambition, and 
obsequious to his wishes in order to win Barttelot's favor 
and conquer those prejudices which Mr. Ward wrote in a 
letter to me were entertained by Mr. Barttelot to him ? 
That I did not lay greater stress upon these reports was 
due solely to the fact that I could not discover sufficient 
motives, inasmuch as the lasting gratitude of Mr. Ward 
was due to me. But if it be true that Mr. Ward did these 
things, does it not appear that he sacrificed my friendship 
in order to win the friendship of a man who was regarded 
as my spy, and showed his hostility to him, as long as he 
had fallen into the snare set for him, by sending him down 
to the sea with a dispatch, then ordering Captain Von 
Kerckhoven to detain him at Bangala ?'* — Mr. Stanley 
at New York. 

Mr. Stanley is careful to use the prefix '' if " in regard 
to all these matters. '^ If" I was guilty of one of the mat- 
ters alleged against me, then indeed would Mr. Stanley be 
justified in all he says. I emphatically deny, however, that 
I ever tried to curry favor with Major Barttelot in any 
way: Major Barttelot and I disagreed from the very first, 
and there was no necessity for me to curry favor. Such 
is not my spirit. As for the questioning of the black man, 
it is all very simple. I did not act by special instructions 
from Major Barttelot, but from feelings of curiosity on my 



146 MY LIFE WITH 

own part. The man had been present at the finding of 
Dr. Livingstone, and was full of facts regarding his death. 
What was more natural than that, interested as I was in 
all matters African, I should seek information from an 
eye-witness as to what had happened ? The whole charge, 
in this connection, shows a narrowness of mind, on Mr. 
Stanley's part, that surprises and pains me very much. 
As for the absurd story of my advocating the cancelli-ng 
of Mr. Stanley's instructions, it was exploded very long 
ago. This is what I wrote to Sir Wm. Mackinnon from 
Banana on May 20, 1889, when I first heard of the matter: 
— '^Mr. Stanley, in his letter, dated at Bonalya, August 28, 
1888, must have been misinformed concerning my actions. 
I emphatically deny ever having suggested cancelling Mr. 
Stanley's instructions. Mr. Stanley's personal baggage, to- 
gether with other property of the Expedition was sent from 
Yambuya, June 19, 1888. I was at that time near Bolobo, 
nine hundred miles from Yambuya." 

Mr. Stanley is in a particularly weak position when he 
launches forth invectives against the unfortunate Barttelot. 
No one will deny at this date that Barttelot was very 
heavily handicapped by a violent temper, and an utter lack 
of sympathy with the black character. But it is not as if 
Mr. "Stanley was unaware of Major Barttelot' s failings: Mr. 
Stanley, in his New York lecture, said: — 

" Several days after he had set out I was told by Gen- 
eral Bracken Barttelot would be sure to give me trouble. 
He furnished me with some instances of his conduct I 
then resolved within myself that, as it was too late to re- 
call him, and that it would be a pity to dismiss him for 
anything he had done in the past, that I would take pre- 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD. 147 

cautions to prevent his committing outrages under the im- 
pulse of his passionate temper. As far as Yambuya, I saw 
no sufficient reason to dismiss him. He had two or three 
times been petulant. He had once disobeyed orders., but he 
gave such promises of amendment in the future^ and such 
excuses for the disobedience, that, not wishing to deal 
harshly, I allowed him to remain." 

Yet this was the man to whom Mr. Stanley wrote before 
leaving Yambuya, ^' I feel sure I have made a wise choice 
in selecting you to guard our interests here during our 
absence." Was this hypocrisy, or what ? Mr. Stanley 
knew he was leaving Major Barttelot in the most difficult 
of all positions; he knew, better than any of us, the wily 
character of the Arabs with whom we were to deal; and 
his whole conduct at this point suggested a belief that the 
"wise choice " he made would result in nothing but fail- 
ure. Why, if Mr. Stanley expected we would move forward 
immediately, did he remark to Barttelot, as he left, that he 
expected to find us all there on his return, or why the ar- 
rangement about supplies for fi^^ months ? Again, why 
did he commission Dr. Parke to investigate the surround- 
ing fields- to see if we would have sufficient manioc for a 
long stay, if we were to leave all behind in a few days ? 
As Mr. Stanley says himself, it is all inexplicable. 

The other points which remain to be dealt with are the 
suggestion of immorality and the brass-rod matter. First 
as regards the question of immorality. This charge is 
one put forward on the strength of a statement by Assad 
Farran, the interpreter. Assad Farran, by the way, is the 
person who told Mr. Stanley at Cairo that the white officers 
were content to remain at Yambuya ! As if he could know 



148 MY LIFE WITH 

what our wishes were, or would be made a confidant of! 
We would sooner have trusted one of our Zanzibar! car- 
riers. He is an Assyrian Christian, and of his own show- 
ing a low thief and scoundrel of the worst type. On this 
man's word we are charged with having been guilty of im- 
morality at Yambuya. I know of no instance in which 
the native women, who were captured, were brought to 
white officers' quarters, as he states. It is quite true that 
women were captured for the purpose of their being ran- 
somed for food, but this was the sum-total of the matter. 
The proceeding may seem very horrid and very harsh to 
gentle readers in England, but with us in Africa, following 
the custom of the country to this extent, the manoeuvre 
was regarded in quite an ordinary light. As a matter of 
fact, however, this only took place on two occasions. No 
harshness was used. The natives brought the food to 
ransom their women in the most matter-of-fact way, and 
laughed heartily with us over the whole transaction. I 
feel I owe an apology to my readers for introducing this 
charge at all. I certainly should not have done so, had 
Mr. Stanley not descended to the use of such an unsavory 
weapon. If I had shirked dealing with it he might have 
used the omission against me. 

The brass-rod matter is to me an equally disagreeable 
subject. I have never been able to discover how it orig- 
inated. The letter from Barttelot which I got at Lomami 
on my way down to the coast, was the first suggestion I 
ever came across that a misapprehension existed. Unfor- 
tunately Barttelot and I never met after this letter, and I 
was thus prevented from obtaining the explanation I de- 
termined to demand. Later on Mr. Stanley made some 
covert reference to the letter, and the muddle became 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, 



149 



greater by the introduction of references to my having 
opened one of Jameson's boxes. The box story is very 
easily explained. Jameson, when leaving the camp on one 
occasion, told us that he had left some lard somewhere in 
his house. We wanted the lard subsequently, and went to 
look for it. In the course of our search we opened — we 
did not break open — a box, in which strings, glue, and all 
kinds of rough stuff were stored. We did not find the 
lard, however, and disturbed nothing. Bonny and Troup 
were with me at the time. To return to the brass rods, 
however. Mr. Stanley quite recently was questioned 
about his insinuations regarding this matter, and the only 
way he could find out of his difficulty in the way of 
supporting his innuendo, was by a reference to my 
collection of African curiosities; and a hint, rather con- 
veyed than expressed, that as I was an unpaid member of 
the Expedition I could not possibly have had the money 
to buy these things. Luckily for me my position is quite 
unassailable in the matter, and, humiliating though it is to 
have to defend myself from such a vile charge as this, I 
think it better to do so, rather than help Mr. Stanley by 
displaying contemptuous indifference. Two-thirds of the 
curiosities I possess were sent home to the care of Mr. 
Joseph Hatton, the novelist, and Mr. Richard Hodson, 
Barrister of the Temple, before I joined the Emin Expe- 
dition. The curios T became possessed of, during the lat- 
ter days of my connection with the Expedition, were ob- 
tained with bartering goods, purchased from the Rev. J. 
Clarke, Rev. Charles Ingham, and Major W. G. Parmin- 
ter, by means of my notes of hand subsequently paid in 
London. Not a farthing's worth of Expedition property 
was misappropriated by me, and the gentlemen I have men- 



^150 MV LIFE WITH 

tioned are within reach, if reference be necessary to sus- 
tain my statement. 

I have not hitherto dealt with the question of punish- 
ments, for the simple reason that my connection with the 
punishments was of a very slight character. As regards 
almost all the sensational incidents alleged to have taken 
place, I know nothing, for I was away at the time. The 
only prominent matter with which I was associated was 
the execution of the Soudanese soldier. Of course, there 
were frequent applications of punishment of a minor char- 
acter, but not such as to call for any explanation what- 
ever. As regards the Soudanese soldier, the facts were 
these: On December 2 he entered my hut at night, and 
stole some meat. His theft was discovered, and he re- 
ceived what I admit was the severe punishment of 150 
lashes. He then deserted, taking one of our guns and a 
supply of cartridges with him, boasting to the Arabs, as 
we subsequently learned, that he intended to shoot Major 
Barttelot. He was caught, tried by court-martial, and ex- 
ecuted on February 9. 

With regard to all the other matters — the alleged can- 
nibal story, the alleged prodding and biting by Major 
Barttelot, the flogging of John Henry, and the rest — I 
have at least a full and complete reply — I know nothing, 
for I was hundreds of miles away. 

This is my reply to what Mr. Stanley has said up to the 
present. Why the leader of the Relief Expedition should 
have attacked me in the way he has done I know not, un- 
less it be on two grounds: (i) that his amour-propre was 
wounded beyond all forgiveness, by his discovering that 
in an idle hour I had caricatured his fantastic dress, in 
the '^gomic sketch" spoken of in my notes; and (2) be- 



STANLEY'S REAR GUARD, I5I 

cause of my association and friendship with Jameson, 
whose diaries formulated such a black indictment against 
him. The caricature which he discovered in Jameson's 
box was but a thoughtless act, burlesquing his extraor- 
dinary African costume, and executed in a spirit of boyish 
playfulness. Yet it moved him, I believe, to savage anger. 
I am sorry for it. It was no fault of mine that I got to 
know what the now famous diaries of Jameson contained, 
and that I should acquaint the dead man's relatives with 
the character of the evidence against him, which Mr. 
Stanley ruthlessly seized and refused to deliver up until 
threatened with legal proceedings. The children of the 
world are wise m their generation, and I can quite under- 
stand how Mr. Stanley, knowing the ^jr/^i"/ which awaited 
him, determined to strike the first blow and scatter 
charges so heavily about, that when the truth came it 
might, to some extent, be discounted. But the "• truth 
will out." 

I will conclude my whole reply with a little sum of the 
"Rule of Three" kind: When Tippoo Tib furnished 400 
carriers, only one-third of the loads was transported, and 
everything went smash as the result. Now, if partial dis- 
aster resulted when two-thirds of the porters carried one- 
third of the loads, what would have happened if, without 
any porters, we attempted to transport ail the loads ? 



E 





K&S 



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